Name/Title
Pearlware PlatterEntry/Object ID
2007.9.3Description
Blue shell-edge pearlware oval platter with blue slip. The piece is press molded and the back is impressed with the maker's mark. The backside shows stilt marks in three places: each mark has three holes in a triangular pattern.Context
Popular from the late 1700s until the mid-1800s, shell-edge pottery is most often blue, although other colors such as green and red are seen as well. The earliest known pottery to use this design was Wedgwood in the 1770s; however, shell-edge was soon sold by other potteries in Staffordshire. The style was very popular as it was one of the least expensive forms of tableware that utilized color. This particular piece is embellished with subtle floral-style embossed motifs within a feather-like design around the scalloped edges. The edges are painted blue and sealed under the clear glaze.
As marked on the back, this pearlware piece came from the Davenport Pottery in Staffordshire, England. Created by John Davenport (1765-1848) in 1785, the company remained in the family for two additional generations, lasting a century before it closed in 1887.Made/Created
Date made
circa 1800 - circa 1825Dimensions
Height
1-1/2 inWidth
13-1/4 inLength
16-1/2 in
