Dish with the Arms of the Anti-Gallican Society

Unknown

ca. 1760–80 · White salt-glazed stoneware with transfer-printed decoration · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

The Arms that decorate this plate make it an interesting piece of British cultural history. The Anti-Gallican Society was founded in ca. 1745 to discourage the importation of French goods—and French culture—into England. The Arms of the Society were adapted from the Society’s Badge, first produced in enamel at York House in Battersea. Ceramics decorated with the Arms of the Anti-Gallican Society are relatively rare. There is an elegance to the way the Arms have been incorporated into overall design of the plate. The salt-glazed surface was not initially well-suited for transfer-printed decoration, but after the technique was developed for porcelain in the late 1750s, it was soon adapted for Staffordshire stoneware. This plate shows a successful application of that technology, as well as offering testimony of British patriotism in the eighteenth century. [Elizabeth Sullivan, 2014]

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1760–80

Medium

White salt-glazed stoneware with transfer-printed decoration

Culture

British, Staffordshire

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Robert A. Ellison Jr. Collection, Gift of Robert A. Ellison Jr., 2014