Platter
ca. 1844–ca. 1846
Medium
Earthenware, transfer-printed
Dimensions
12 5/8 x 17 1/4 in. (32.1 x 43.8 cm)
Classification
Platter
Culture
British (American market)
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Mary Mandeville Johnston, from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Edward W. S. Johnston, 1914
Accession Number
14.102.257
Tags
Art Historical Context
This elegant platter, crafted by the British pottery firm William Ridgway, Son & Co. around 1844–1846, exemplifies the height of Staffordshire earthenware production for the American market. Measuring 12⅝ × 17¼ inches, it features transfer-printed landscapes—a technique that allowed intricate, colorful designs to be mass-produced by printing patterns onto tissue paper, transferring them to unfired clay, and then glazing. This innovation made high-quality decorated ceramics affordable for middle-class American households during the antebellum era. Produced in England but tailored for U.S. cons...