Dish (Charger)

Description

Large, floral-patterned delftware dishes, sometimes known as Tulip Chargers, were produced in England from around 1670 on into the early 1700s. Ultimately, such dishes imitated designs on ceramics and other wares that traveled to Europe from places like Iznik, in Turkey. Made during a time of "Tulip Mania," tulips and other flowers adorned textiles, ceramics, metalwork and other decorative arts. The floral motif on the dish shown here is bi-laterially symmetrical (or mirror-image), while Turkish originals often display more fluid, asymmetrical designs. Many early English tulip chargers feature so-called blue-dash borders (see 1954.0538). The sponged border on this dish helps to date it to after around 1700.