dinner plate

Summary

Public: Dinner plate, cream coloured earthenware, relief-moulded with busts of the King of Prussia, birds, trophies and commemorative inscription, decorated with mottled blue-black, green, brown and yellow underglaze oxides bleeding into lead glaze. Private: Circular dinner plate with broad shallow well and undulating 6-lobed rim. Rim relief-moulded with bust portrait of Frederick the Great of Prussia, and two eagles in flight, each motif against diamond diaper ground, alternating with commemorative inscription 'SUCCESS / TO THE / KING OF / PRUSSIA / AND HIS / FORCES' in three sections flanked by small scrollwork cartouches. Cream coloured earthenware body sponged with manganese blue-black underglaze oxide, and five patches of daubed green, brown and yellow to well, colours bleeding into glaze to give mottled streaky effect. Eagles picked out in manganese brown, portrait bust in brown and yellow, underside sponged plain blue-black.

Display Label

The Thomas Greg Collection The Greg Collection of English Pottery was given to the Gallery in 1904 by collector and amateur historian Thomas Greg. One of the great collections of English pottery, it was formed at a time when little was known about the history of ceramics in this country. Over forty years Greg systematically acquired some of the best examples of the potter's art, tracing its development over a thousand years. His collection tells the story of English pottery: of experiment and invention, triumph and downfall, from the unknown medieval craftsman to the world domination of Josiah Wedgwood. In many ways, it is a history of England itself. Greg was driven by a fascination with the past and a desire to contribute to scholarly knowledge. He gave his collection to the Gallery in the hope of inspiring a similar sense of wonder in others.