Platter

MakerProbably made by Staffordshire potteries (English, 17th century-present)

After a work byAfter a drawing by J. A. Davis

Dateabout 1835-1845

MediumMold-formed ironstone with underglaze blue decoration

DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (width x depth): 17 1/8 x 13 5/8in. (43.5 x 34.6cm)

ClassificationsCeramics

Credit LineGift of the heirs of Morgan B. Brainard

Object number1961.12.6

DescriptionLarge, oval, ironstone platter with transfer-printed underglaze cobalt blue borders and pattern titled, "State House, New Haven". The scene from New Haven, found on both sides of the platter, shows college buildings, spires, and a fenced-in green to the left, a tree-lined dirt road in the center, and a building with a portico supported by six columns on the right. At the far right is a two-story building with a tall, white spire in front. In the foreground, couples and small groups of people are walking in the road and looking at the buildings. The pattern is surrounded by a narrow border of repeating geometric shapes, then by the primary border at the rim. The primary border consists of four oval areas containing flowers, urns, landscape elements, leaves, and scrolls. These are connected by swags of flowers on a light blue field, as well as additional leaf and scroll elements.

The platter has overall scratches and crazing, as well as a significant loss to the glaze around the outer edge of the rim, where the glaze has been scratched or rubbed off. A relatively large area of the rim, above the pattern, has been repaired and repainted; this area is now a light yellow color.

NotesSubject Note: The probable source for this view of the New Haven green appears to be a print by Fenner, Sears & Co, based on a drawing by J. A. Davis, published in London in 1831. The buildings on the left are the Yale campus, and at the right is the State House, erected in 1828. At the extreme right is the North Congregational Church, built in 1815.

Status

Not on view