Prattware Prince of Wales Feathers Pearlware Pottery Plaques - A Pair

Details

Description

Royal Fidelity: Prattware Plaques with the Prince of Wales Feathers

Object: Pair of Circular Plaques
Manufacturer: Prattware Pottery, Staffordshire, England … Read more Royal Fidelity: Prattware Plaques with the Prince of Wales Feathers

Object: Pair of Circular Plaques
Manufacturer: Prattware Pottery, Staffordshire, England (Unmarked)
Date: Circa 1800-1820
Medium: Pearlware, Relief-Moulded and Painted in Underglaze Colors

Dimensions (Each): 8 3/4 inch diameter x 1/2 inch deep (22.23 cm diameter x 1.27 cm).

This charming pair of Prattware pearlware plaques features a central relief-moulded panel depicting the Prince of Wales Feathers, the heraldic badge of the heir apparent to the British throne. The design is framed by a distinctive black outer border, which contrasts sharply with the white pearlware body and the central motif's colorful embellishment. The feathers—traditionally three ostrich feathers issuing from a coronet—are rendered with simple, folk-art charm in vibrant blue and red underglaze colors against a sunny, yellow, star-like burst.

Historical Context: Georgian Patriotism and Prattware

These plaques are significant examples of Prattware, a term used to describe a popular group of earthenware produced primarily in Staffordshire, England, during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Prattware is distinguished by its relief-moulded forms and bold, high-temperature underglaze colors (typically brown, green, blue, and ochre-yellow). Unlike later transfer-printed wares, the colors on these pieces were applied by hand, giving them a distinctively "folky" and charmingly irregular appearance.

The plaques were created during the Georgian era when displays of loyalty to the Crown were particularly fashionable, often driven by anxiety over the Napoleonic Wars. The Prince of Wales Feathers badge would have symbolized fidelity to the future monarch, George IV (who served as Prince Regent from 1811 to 1820). Pieces featuring such royal and patriotic symbols were extremely popular for domestic display, demonstrating the owner's political allegiance and current fashion sensibility.

Potential References

Lewis, John and Griselda. Prattware: English and Scottish Relief-Decorated and Painted Earthenware, 1780-1840.

Barker, David. Prattware, 1780-1840 (For detailed analysis of forms and decorative techniques).

Mankowitz, Wolf. Dictionary of English Ceramic Marks (For general context on 19th-century English pottery).

(Ref: NY8276-icrr) See less