Wedgwood Nautical Creamware Soup Plate

Details

Description

The Enigmatic Standard: Wedgwood Creamware Plate with Ship

Object: Soup Plate, "Royal" Shape
Manufacturer: Wedgwood (Impressed mark), Etruria, Staffordshire, England
… Read more The Enigmatic Standard: Wedgwood Creamware Plate with Ship

Object: Soup Plate, "Royal" Shape
Manufacturer: Wedgwood (Impressed mark), Etruria, Staffordshire, England
Decorator: Guy Green at Liverpool (Transfer Printer)
Date: Circa 1775-1790
Medium: Creamware (Queen's Ware), Black Transfer Print
Dimensions: 9 1/2 inches diameter (24 cm diameter).

This handsome Wedgwood Queen's Ware plate is decorated with a black transfer print featuring a large naval vessel sailing upon a turbulent sea. The "Royal" shape rim is delicately adorned with five sprays of flowers, providing a light contrast to the dramatic maritime scene. The plate's central focus is the ship itself, which flies a prominent yellow flag charged with a double-headed eagle. The service was decorated by Guy Green in Liverpool, a city central to Britain's overseas trade.

The Riddle of the Flag: Imperial Commerce

This plate is a highly significant example of ceramic history, embodying the complex global commerce that drove 18th-century luxury goods. The double-headed eagle flag is the central historical puzzle: while some sources identify it as the standard of Francis II, the last Holy Roman Emperor, others, including Wedgwood expert Robin Reilly, suggest the service was manufactured for the Baltic trade and bears a Russian flag. Both empires used the double-headed eagle, a symbol of vast dominion. Regardless of the exact nation, the personalized initials—"LCBCC" below the ship and "FMDCB" on the rim—confirm this plate belonged to an exclusive service commissioned by a wealthy merchant or official involved in Northern or Eastern European trade. This plate, therefore, serves as a direct, tangible link to the ambitious, customized markets Wedgwood dominated during the late Georgian era.

Historical Context: Wedgwood and Transferware

This piece represents the height of Wedgwood’s commercial and technical success. The Queen's Ware body—a pale, refined earthenware developed by Josiah Wedgwood I—was immensely popular across Europe and America. The decoration method, black transfer printing, was highly efficient and allowed for detailed, custom engravings to be applied quickly and affordably compared to hand-painting. This innovation enabled Wedgwood to produce specialized dinner services, like this one, on demand for a sophisticated international clientele, marking a pivotal moment in the industrialization of ceramic production.

Potential References

Reilly, Robin. Wedgwood, Volume I (Page 88, illustration 58, referencing the Russian flag theory).

The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (Accession Numbers: 65.222.2, .3, for pair from the same service).

Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. (Referencing examples from the same service).

Copeland, Robert. Blue and White Transfer-Printed Pottery (For context on Guy Green and Liverpool decoration). See less