Octagonal plate with the arms of the Machell and Holloway family
ca. 1750 - ca. 1774
Medium
turning
Dimensions
13.3; 2.3; 22.7
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Achtkantig bord beschilderd in emails en goud met in het centrum het gecombineerde wapen van de families Machell en Holloway. Op de wand en rand een spearhead band en op de rand vogels en bloemtakken.
Art Historical Context
This exquisite octagonal plate, crafted around 1750–1774 by an anonymous artisan, exemplifies 18th-century European ceramics at its finest. Measuring just 2.3 cm in height and 22.7 cm in, its shallow, lathe-turned form—achieved through the precise "turning" technique a potter's wheel—highlights the technical mastery of the period. At its center gleams the combined coat of arms of the prominent English families Machell and Holloway, likely commemorating a marriage alliance or family union, a common practice among the aristocracy. The plate's surface bursts with vibrant enamels and gold, a luxurious polychrome technique fired at low temperatures to fuse glassy colors onto the ceramic body. Surrounding the heraldic centerpiece, a delicate spearhead band (a guilloche motif) encircles the inner wall, while the outer rim dances with stylized birds and blooming flower branches. These motifs evoke the Rococo style's love for nature and ornamentation, blending elegance with symbolism—birds often representing freedom or fidelity. Heraldic porcelain like this was prized for display in grand dining rooms, underscoring social status and lineage. Though anonymous, the maker's skill places it among high-end delftware or faience traditions, offering a window into Georgian-era opulence and craftsmanship.
About the Artist
anonymous
In the vast tapestry of art history, "Anonymous" stands not as a singular individual but as a collective designation for countless unidentified creators whose works have endured across millennia. These artists, spanning prehistoric cave painters to medieval illuminators and folk craftsmen, produced the foundational layers of human visual culture. Prior to the Renaissance, when individual fame emer...