Plates - 8
from Italian Traditional Food

Plates in general

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More info about the potted history of plates ....

A little knowledge ....

How many people, browsing through junk shops, hunting in family cupboars or turning out the attic, suddenly come across a neglected piece of china? An odd cup, perhaps, a large, old-fashioned plate of an elaborate teapot? Where did it come from? Could it be valuable? Who made it, and when?

Well, hopefully by having read through these articles you may have gained a little knowledge on the subject. A little knowledge, just for once, is not a dangerous thing if it leads you to seek out more information for yourself. After all, each past age had its own particular stamp and style, and it is only by learning to recognise the "trademarks" that you come truly to value the best of its type.

For people nowadays, while appreciating the speed and convenience of modern living, are beginning to admire the work of the master craftsman. More and more objects, once considered junk, are finding their way into modern homes, to be polished and displayed with pride. Your chipped Rockingham plate, your bent and twisted spoon may not have much market value, but it is nevertheless a piece of domestic history. And if you don't intend to start collecting for yourself, there are always museums to visit, stately homes on view.

In fact, it's by studying the objects people used, their tastes and fancies, fads and fashions, that we learn more about our predecessors than any textbook can tell us.

Here is some information about some of the great names in British pottery. The term "Staffordshire", for example, covers a multitude of the best-known names in English pottery, among them Minton, Spode and, of course, Wedgwood. In the early days, some porcelain was produced, notably by New Hall which manufactured "hard paste" porcelain and Longton Hall which made the "soft paste". The secret of hard paste, with its colder, firmer feel, was discovered long ago by the Chinese. Soft paste, a kind of 18th century European substitute, is warmer to the touch, looks more porous, and sometimes its glaze seems to be slightly smeared.

At the same time, good, strong earthenware was being made for general consumption, and a little later Josiah Spode - the son of the firm's founder - helped to pioneer English bone china - rather like a compromise between the two. With a much more delicate appearance than earthenware, yet stronger and certainly cheaper than porcelain, it proved a winner. A great deal of tableware such as plates has been born of this splendid British compromise.

Page 7 of this Italian Traditional Food article on plates can be found on the previous page.

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