Saucer Dish

Dateca. 1720

MediumHard-paste porcelain

DimensionsOD: 9 1/4"

Credit LineGift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. Ridinger III

Object number2013-115

DescriptionMolded saucer dish decorated with translucent enamels.Label TextThe use of red and black enamels with gilding was very popular in the Netherlands, where it was known as “milk and blood.” Although very few pieces decorated in this way have been found in other European countries, the style appears to have been popular in the British colonies, including Virginia, suggesting that while the English may not have purchased them for themselves, such pieces were part of cargoes headed from England to America. Fragments with this color palette have been excavated at several sites in Williamsburg, including the John Brush trash pit, the Thomas Jones cellar, the Peyton Randolph house, and Wetherburn’s Tavern.ProvenanceFrom the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. Ridinger III