Delftware Plate, Bristol, c.1760

This Bristol delftware plate was probably made at Redcliffe Back, under Richard Frank. Decorated in a style known as 'bianco sopra bianco', or 'white on white', the border is painted with a repeated pattern of a multi-petalled flower followed by a pinecone, a spray of leaves and a further flower. Although inspired by the incised patterns found on the rims of Chinese export porcelain, the name alludes to the use of this decoration on sixteenth century Italian maiolica at Faenza. The main blue-painted design is of a European river scene, showing two hatted men in a boat in the foreground, and a man fishing from the riverbank. Houses flank a large Chinese-style rock in the middle distance, beyond which a hill is topped by a tall tree. Clouds and flocks of birds can be seen in the sky above. In all, it is a charming mix of Far Eastern and European idioms.

Three spur or stilt marks can be seen on the reverse, indicating how such wares were stacked and fired in the kiln. The buff coloured earthenware body can be seen where the lavender blue glaze did not entirely cover the underside edge.

Condition: Excellent - No cracks, major chips or restoration, just the typical flaking to the rim found on most tin-glazed earthenware items of this period.

Dimensions: Diameter 9" (23cm)

Delftware: The Tin-glazed Earthenware of the British Isles, Michael Archer (V&A/HMSO, 1997).

English Delftware, F.H. Garner and Michael Archer (Faber & Faber, 1972).