Plate
- Place of origin:
Temple Back, United Kingdom (probably, made)
- Date:
- Artist/Maker:
Cantle, Thomas (probably, manufacturer)
- Materials and Techniques:
Tin-glazed earthenware, painted
- Credit Line:
Bequeathed by Prof. F. H. Garner
- Museum number:
- Gallery location:
British Galleries, room 52d, case 6
- Download image
Object Type
During the 18th century, ceramic plates gained in popularity over those made from pewter. Cheaper than porcelain, though offering similar decorative possibilities, delftware (English-made, tin-glazed earthenware) was a popular choice. This stylishly decorated delftware plate, dating from the mid-1750s, probably represents the high-point in the fashionability of the material. However, delftware was already facing competition from the white salt-glazed stonewares of Staffordshire, and both were soon to be eclipsed by creamware.
Decoration
The single most important influence on the decoration of English delftware was porcelain from East Asia. From the early 17th century to the very end of the 18th century, a succession of Chinese and Japanese painting styles and motifs were adopted by potters in England. Imports of Chinese porcelain during the 17th century provided prototypes that were copied more or less faithfully, but from around 1680, an English Chinoiserie style began to emerge, with pottery painters inventing their own simplifications, abstractions and patterns. Both the central motif of this plate and its powdered pigment border show an East Asian influence.
Physical description
The front is covered with powdered manganese-purple, with the exception of five reserved panels of Chinese figures standing in landscapes, holding a stick or fishing, all in blue.
Body colour: Buff.
Glaze: Greyish white. Many small white dots in the glaze, particularly visible in painted areas.
Shape: Shape M with slightly more upturned flange. (Alphabetic shape codes as used in appendix to Archer. Delftware. 1997)
Place of Origin
Temple Back, United Kingdom (probably, made)
Date
ca. 1754 (made)
Artist/maker
Cantle, Thomas (probably, manufacturer)
Materials and Techniques
Tin-glazed earthenware, painted
Dimensions
Diameter: 23 cm
Object history note
Mr C.J. Lomax. Professor F.H. Garner Bequest, 1965.
Exhibited: Rijksmuseum, No: 110.
Probably made at the pottery of Thomas Cantle, Temple Back, Bristol
Descriptive line
Delftware plate, painted with panels of Chinese figures in landscapes. British (Bristol), ca.1754.
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
Archer, Michael. Delftware: The Tin-Glazed Earthenware of the British Isles. A Catalogue of the Collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum. London: The Stationery Office, 1997. p.151, Cat. No.B.73. ISBN 0 11 290499 8
Exhibition History
English Delftware (Rijksmuseum 23/03/1973-08/07/1983)
Labels and date
British Galleries:
This plate was made in imitation of Chinese blue and white porcelain, which was imported from China in large quantities after 1700. It would have been much cheaper than Chinese porcelain. An opaque glaze conceals a buff pottery body. The painter achieved the speckled effect by spraying a pigment through a straw. [27/03/2003]
Production Note
Attribution based on a similar dated example (see references: Archer).
Materials
Tin-glazed earthenware
Techniques
Glazed; Painting (image-making)
Subjects depicted
Landscapes (representations)
Categories
Ceramics; British Galleries; Delftware
Collection code
CER
