A framed earthenware Plaque, probably Staffordshire, last quarter of the 19th century
This delightful plaque is finely painted with a still life of delicious ripe fruit, including red grapes, apples, whitecurrants and hazelnuts, all resting on a grassy ground and surrounded by a trailing vine.
Unsigned.
The subject matter and treatment is similar in style to the canvases of the Birmingham artist George Clare (1835-1900) and his sons Oliver (1853-1927) and Vincent (1855-1930), still life painters primarily of fruit during the latter half of the 19th century and the first decades of the 20th Century.
The unmarked earthenware plaque was probably produced by a Staffordshire manufacturer, perhaps a firm that would also have produced decorative tiles, such as Minton. The body is rather white and appears to have a chalky composition, something which may help to identify the maker. The decorative gilt frame with velvet inset is later. Evidence of a label and earlier framing can be seen on the reverse of the plaque.
Dimensions of plaque (unframed): Length 32.5 cm; Height 28 cm; Thickness 0.5 cm; Length 48 cm; Height 43 cm; Depth 5 cm (when framed).
Condition: The glazed surface is crazed on both sides and the plaque has been reduced slightly on two edges, with minor losses to the corners, visible only on the reverse.
A Collector’s History of English Pottery, Griselda Lewis (Antique Collectors’ Club, 1987).
Price: £235.