Antique English Pottery Spatterware Plates- a Set of Four

Details

Description

Verdant Vines: An English 'Stick Spatter' Seaweed Set
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Origin: England (likely Staffordshire)
• Date: circa 1820-1850
• Material: Earthenware … Read more Verdant Vines: An English 'Stick Spatter' Seaweed Set
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Origin: England (likely Staffordshire)
• Date: circa 1820-1850
• Material: Earthenware (Pearlware or Whiteware)
• Dimensions: 9 ⅜ inches (Diameter) x 1 ¼ inches (Height)

This is a charming set of four English earthenware plates from the first half of the 19th century. Each plate is a testament to the folk art appeal of early spongeware, decorated using a "stick spatter" or "cut-sponge" technique.
The design features a vibrant, repeating motif of green "seaweed" or "vine," with each stamped element accented by a single brown dot. This pattern is meticulously applied in a dense, continuous band around the border and is repeated as a central medallion in the well of each plate. The lively green and brown decoration stands in stark contrast to the cream-colored body of the pearlware.

As is common for this type of utilitarian pottery, the plates are unmarked.

Historical Context

This set of plates is a classic example of English "spongeware" (also known as "spatterware"), a type of inexpensive, mass-produced pottery made in the Staffordshire district of England during the early 19th century. Despite its English origin, it is often associated with American folk art due to its immense popularity in the United States, particularly in Pennsylvania Dutch communities.

The decoration is not "spattered" in the original sense (blowing paint through a tube), but rather "sponge-stamped." Decorators, often women and children working in a cottage industry, would cut a sponge or a piece of root into a desired shape (like the "seaweed" seen here), attach it to a stick, dip it in pigment, and stamp the design onto the plate before glazing. This specific technique is known as "stick spatter" or "cut-sponge" decoration.

This type of pottery was the everyday tableware of farms and working-class homes. It was affordable, cheerful, and exported by the crate-load to America. The "seaweed" motif seen here should not be confused with "Mocha" seaweed, a different technique from the same period where a chemical reaction created a fern-like, dendritic pattern. This set, with its repeating stamped design, represents a distinct and highly collectible form of early industrial folk pottery.

References

For further information on this type of pottery, the definitive guides are:
• Kowalsky, Arnold & Dorothy. Spongeware and Spatterware (A Schiffer Book for Collectors). Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, 2001.
• McConnell, Kevin. Spongeware and Spatterware (A Schiffer Book for Collectors). West Chester, PA: Schiffer Publishing, 1990.
• Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library (Delaware), which holds an extensive collection of English spatterware and related ceramics exported to America.

(Ref: NY10418-nrr) See less