Plate
Dateca. 1810
MediumLead-glazed earthenware (china glaze / pearlware)
DimensionsOverall: 3/4 × 7 1/4 in (1.9 × 18.41cm)
Credit LineGift of James S. Lawrence
Object number2025-71
DescriptionPlate: circular plate with molded scalloped shell-edged border. The edge painted blue; the well of the plate painted in green, black, blue, yellow, orange, and brown with a stylized peafowl perched on a Chinese rail gate between stylized trees and amidst a stylized landscape.Label TextFragments of blue and green molded shell-edged dishes and teawares with stylized peafowl patterns have been uncovered at archaeological sites throughout Virginia. And shell-edged plates painted in a variety of colors turn up archaeologically at numerous sites in late-18th and early 19th century America. Often identified by their color and “edge” or “edged,” molded shell-edged wares were advertised in period newspapers and listed in inventories, as well.
