Plate with the arms of the Bennet and Colville family

About this artwork

inscription: ‘NEMO:ME:IMPUNE:LACFSSIT’

Art Historical Context

This delicate plate, dating from around 1725 to 1749, proudly displays the heraldic arms of the Bennet and Col families, crafted anonymously using the technique of turning—a method where clay is shaped on a potter's wheel for precise, symmetrical forms. Measuring just 2.6 cm in height and 22.9 cm in diameter, its shallow profile suggests it was designed for display or light use, typical of fine tableware from the early Georgian era in Britain. The inscription "NEMOME:IMPUNE:LACFSSIT" (a variant of the Latin motto "Nemo me impune lacessit," meaning "No one provokes me with impunity") holds deep cultural resonance as Scotland's national motto, linked to the Order of the Thistle. This suggests ties to Scottish nobility or pride, with the Bennet and Colville arms indicating a union or alliance between prominent families, possibly through marriage. Such heraldic ceramics were status symbols, adorning the homes of the elite to proclaim lineage and loyalty. Turning allowed artisans to achieve the plate's elegant thinness and uniformity, highlighting the technical mastery of 18th-century potters amid rising demand for personalized porcelain and earthenware. A charming glimpse into aristocratic life, it invites us to ponder the stories etched in clay.

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...