Plates

1840? Alphabet plate. "Aesop's Fables: The Shepherd's Boy."  5" in diameter.  $29.99 Canadian from Brian Howell, Rothesay, NB, Canada through Ebay, July, '19.

1880?  One badly damaged and clumsily repaired ABC plate 7½" in diameter. Various patterns encircle the alphabet displayed on the plate's rim. On its inner circle in capitals are "Æsop's Fables" above and "The Fox and the Grapes" below a pleasing design of a fox walking away from grapes hanging from a tree. Maker unknown. $29.99 from Susan Levine, Scarsdale, NY through Ebay, Sept., '99.

I have seen ABC plates on Ebay and hoped to land one, but they have been very expensive. Finding a broken one was my lucky way to beat that problem! Someone e-mailed Ms Levine during the auction with the information that it was customary, after a child grew up, to break his ABC plate and then glue it back together. Maybe that is what happened here. Actually, I like it broken! Around the letters of the alphabet are, in order, diamonds, and a maze pattern surrounded with a dark band that reaches to the edge of the plate. Colors are painted onto the central scene: red for flowers; purple for grapes; brown and green for leaves, grass, and ground. Has some color washed off?

1880?  Repaired ABC plate 7½" in diameter. Various patterns encircle the alphabet displayed on the plate's rim. On its inner circle in capitals are "Æsop's Fables" above and "The Fox and the Grapes" below a pleasing design of a fox walking away from grapes hanging from a tree. Maker unknown. $24.99 from Cindy Schneider, Wellington, OH, through Ebay, Oct., '00.

Here is a much better exemplar than the plate I had found earlier. The colored design in the middle is very well preserved. Repairs have been made to reinstate a smaller piece from about 10 and 11 o'clock and a larger piece extending from 11 to 4 o'clock.

1880? One ABC plate 7⅜" in diameter. Various patterns encircle the alphabet displayed on the plate's rim. On its inner circle in capitals are "Æsop's Fables" above and "The Leopard and the Fox" below a simple design of a fox looking back at a leopard away from whom he walks. $15 from Robin Jorgensen, Greeley, Co, Sept., '10.

A curious feature of this ABC plate is that there are three areas of green leaves and an area of blue flowers, but otherwise there is no color. Neither animal has any color. The leopard suffers from the regular problem of having a human face imposed onto an animal frame.

1880? One ABC plate 7¼" in diameter. Various patterns encircle the alphabet displayed on the plate's rim. On its inner circle in capitals are "Æsop's Fables" above and "The Travellers and the Bear" below a pleasing design of a bear sniffing at the head of man on the ground while his mate climbs a nearby tree. $42.50 from Fletcher Art and Antiques, Warren, Maine, through eBay, Oct., '10.

There are three areas of green leaves on trees and an area of blue flowers on the ground. The absentee friend climbing the tree is also colored blue. Is it surprising that neither the bear nor the prostrate man has color? The bear suffers from the regular problem of having a human face imposed onto an animal frame. The word "Bear" in the title is clipped in its last two letters.

1880? One ABC plate 8" in diameter. Various patterns encircle the alphabet displayed on the plate's rim. On its inner circle in capitals are "Æsop's Fables" above and "The Dog in the Manger."  $19.99 from stepback-n-thyme through Ebay, Oct., '22.

The plate features a strong design of a steer coming through a barn door and finding an aggressive dog ready to defend his place on the hay.  Green and brown coloring.  There may have been a trademark on the verso.  If so, it has been almost all rubbed off.  There is one clear crack and one small chip.

1900? One ABC plate 6¾" in diameter. The alphabet is embossed on the plate's rim. In its inner circle is a presentation of MSA in brown and white. A seal on the back of the plate is illegible except for its ending: "Sons, England." $55 from Sally Gilbert, Rochester, NY, through eBay, Sept., '02.

The plate presents the phase in this story in which both father and son ride on the ass. Clouds, trees, fields, rocks, and a path are visible. I am surprised that this motif would be taken up on a child's alphabet plate.

1979 "The Fox and the Grapes." Sculptured by Herman L. Deaton. Hand Painted on Cold Cast Bronze. N^o. 1048 of a Limited Edition of 9750 plates. 7¼" in diameter and 1 inch deep. $26 from Gerald Kaylarian, Seattle, through Ebay, July, '99.

Now this is a weighty object! "Plate" here is no longer something one eats off of! The spatial presentation of the fable is very good. This fox cannot get at these grapes, but the hill lures him into trying it. I have seen this piece offered several times on Ebay but never anywhere else. Are there more plates in a series?

1900? Faience plate 8" in diameter showing two scenes depicting OR. Numbered "1." A mark on the back seems to combine the letters "M" and "C" and says "déposé Fables Terre de Fer." $17.50 from thegreenloft through Ebay, June, '22.

1900? Faience plate 8" in diameter showing three scenes depicting GA. Numbered "2." A mark on the back seems to combine the letters "M" and "C" and says "déposé Fables Terre de Fer." $18 from Penny Hughes, Marysville, WA, Feb., '06.

This plate features, in its side panels, the backs of two men. One seems a prosperous farmer with mounds of hay nearby. The other has poorer clothing and strides away with a walking stick carrying something -- an instrument perhaps? -- as he goes. The central panel features two women. The "ant" holds an instrument for spinning, while the lovely younger grasshopper holds a lute. A small child is jut behind her.

1900? Faience plate 8" in diameter showing three scenes depicting "Le Fou qui Vend la Sagesse." Numbered "3." A mark on the back seems to combine the letters "M" and "C" and says "déposé Fables Terre de Fer." $45 from Daria Edwards, NY, Feb., '00. Click on the image to see it enlarged.

The madman offers wisdom for a price, and gives those who pay a slap and a piece of thread two ells long. In this strange and wonderful story (La Fontaine IX 8), the first result is that we should not try to make sense of this act – or of anything else that fools say or do! The second result occurs in the story when one fellow, embarrassed by the blow and thread, goes to find a wise man, who tells him immediately that these things are symbols: "Stay this length of thread away from all madmen, or you'll get similar 'caresses.' You were not fooled; that madman does sell wisdom." The plate effectively presents both objects of trade, the slap and the thread. Monochrome characters in the panels at left and right are pondering the string and laughing, respectively.

1900? Faience plate 8" in diameter showing two scenes depicting "The Mouse, Cat, and Rooster." Numbered "4." A mark on the back seems to combine the letters "M" and "C" and says "déposé Fables Terre de Fer." $17.50 from thegreenloft through Ebay, June, '22.

1900? Faience plate 8" in diameter showing three scenes depicting "Le Loup et le Chien." Numbered "6." A mark on the back seems to combine the letters "M" and "C" and says "déposé Fables Terre de Fer." $9.99 from Antiques Gallery, St. Cloud, MN, through eBay, Feb., '03.

The smaller pictures on the upper left and lower right picture the chained dog and the departing wolf, respectively. The central picture portrays a thin, poorly clad man with his stick and satchel taking his leave from a rotund man in a uniform of service. The latter carries a set of keys. La Fontaine's fable says that this wolf ran away and is running still!

1900? Faience plate 8" in diameter showing three scenes depicting "Le Rat qui s'est Retiré du Monde." Numbered "8." A mark on the back seems to combine the letters "M" and "C" and says "déposé Fables Terre de Fer." $45 from Daria Edwards, NY, Feb., '00.

This sad story is of the religious hermit-rat who moves into a cheese to live and turns down his fellows when they, under attack, come asking for help (La Fontaine VII 3). He offers them a blessing and says that he, separated from such worldly concerns, will give nothing more. Here a colored panel shows three human soldiers appealing to a monk who leans out of his home's window as they appeal to him. The smaller monochrome panels show the animal scene, complete with its large ball of cheese, and also the enemy: the cat waiting at a hole for any rat who emerges.

1920? Brown and white plate 9" in diameter with an open-dentelle fringe showing DS at its center. 

1980? Russian plate almost 8" in diameter presenting FS.  "Dulero IS 5."  "7 87."  $60 from Evgeny Ponomar, Russia, Sept., '18.

1980?A plate of La Fontaine's FC using an images by Épinal de Pellerin. £4.99 from Mr. and Mrs. C. Protheroe, Cwmbran, Gwent, UK, through eBay, Oct., '05. This plate measures just over 9" in diameter.It lacks the green stripe around the edge of the smaller plates. The Épinal coloring is again brilliant! The match of color to the black outlines is superior here to the parallel image of FC on the smaller plates. Click on the image to see a larger version.

1980?  Large (11¾" diameter) single plate with a banner on its face "Fables de La Fontaine."  Brown, blue, and green.  €15 from "MK" at St. Ouen, June, '19.

1982 Franklin Porcelain miniature plate. The Best Loved Fairy Tales: The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse. Carol Lawson Signature Edition. A Limited Edition of Fine Bone China. #41 of 50 designs. $7.95 from Simply Wonderful Gifts, Bend, OR, through Ebay, July, '00.

The rim around the circumference of this 3¼" miniature plate is done in a dove pattern trimmed in 24K gold. The inside 2" circle shows the two mice enjoying fruits. To see a larger view of the plate, click on the image.

1920? 7 7/8" cream-colored plate with colored design and raised edges depicting the fall of TT. The plate reads "Fables de LaFontaine 12" and "La Tortue et les Deux Canards." The back reads "Porcelaine opaque de Gien." $25 through Myrtice Stratton and Ebay, April, '99.

A charming plate. It depicts the fall just after the tortoise has let go of the stick. The countryside is beautifully pictured, though the seller found it somewhat discolored with age. There is a string through two holes in the bottom rim of the plate. Apparently it was made from the start to adorn a wall rather than a table. Click on the image to see an enlarged version.

1920? 8½" cream-colored plate with a blue-green colored design depicting WL. The plate reads "Fables de LaFontaine" and "Le Loup et l'Agneau." The smudged back stamp reads "Porcelaine opaque de Gien." $25 through an unknown source prior to 2007.

The block lettering is typical of Gien work. The wolf is looking up and even seeming to look beyond the offending lamb. It is hard to know whether this is a normal plate that a clever person has made into a wall decoration -- or whether Gien did the piercing of the glass back of the plate. As I say of the larger colored plate of TT done by Gien, it was apparently made from the start to adorn a wall rather than a table.

1920? 8" cream-colored plate with a blue-green colored design depicting FS. The plate reads "Fables de LaFontaine" and "Le Renard et la Cigogne." The back stamp reads "Porcelaine opaque de Gien." There is a registry mark on the plate's back. $35 from Linda Leffingwell, Doyestown, PA, June, '11.

The block lettering is typical of Gien work. Though the scene is the fable's second phase, in which the stork is turning the tables on the fox, the artist manages to position the stork's tall vase inside of the fox's shallow soup-bowl. The fox looks on, perhaps noticing the enticing and edible creature suggested inside the vase. The scene covers the entirety of the front of the plate.

1920? 8" cream-colored plate with a blue-green colored design depicting "The Fox and the Goat." The plate reads "Fables de LaFontaine" and "Le Renard et le Bouc." The back stamp reads "Porcelaine opaque de Gien." There is a registry mark on the plate's back. $35 from Linda Leffingwell, Doyestown, PA, June, '11.

The block lettering is typical of Gien work. The moment depicted finds the fox looking back for a moment as he begins to walk away and leave the goat helpless in the well. The two animal characters are highlighted by the scene's shading; surprisingly, perhaps, the well's mechanism is equally highlighted. The scene covers the entirety of the front of the plate.

1920? 8" cream-colored plate with a blue-green colored design depicting CJ. The plate reads "Fables de LaFontaine" and "Le Coq et la Perle." The partial back stamp reads "Porcelaine …e de Gien." There is a registry mark on the plate's back. $35 from Linda Leffingwell, Doyestown, PA, June, '11.

The block lettering is typical of Gien work. The cock is dramatically positioned in the center of the scene and oriented to the pearl just beneath him. The scene covers the entirety of the front of the plate.

1990? One dessert plate illustrating FC. On the front is "Fables de la Fontaine" and "Le Corbeau et le Renard." On the back of the plate is "Musée de la Faiencerie de Gien." Gien: France. £2.99 from Karen Dillon, St. Saviour, Jersey, Feb., '06.

This plate is identical in form to the FC plate in the set of six dessert plates by the Musée de la Faiencerie de Gien. Where, however, that plate used gray, this plate uses black. The impression is quite different!

1960 China plate of TH by Richard Ginori, Italy. Almost 10" in diameter. Decoration by M. Praquin of Crépy. Exlusivity of "L'or et l'argent," Chateau-Thierry, France. $9.95 from Shayna Prentice, San Diego, CA, through ebay, April, '04.

This delightful plate is inscribed in a delicate longhand on its back "Le Lièvre et la Tortue." The front of the plate is unadorned except for the rendering of the finish line of TH after J.J. Grandville. Grandville's initials are still on the milepost marking the finish.

1910? Seven "talking plates" by Hautin Boulenger & Cie, in Choisy-le-Roi, France, featuring illustrations of fables of La Fontaine. 7¾" in diameter. €8 each from Jobey Antique Shop, Normandie, France, through Ebay, Oct., '20. Four further plates from artdelatable50 through Ebay for €46, Jan., '22.

1988 China plate of GGE. Michael Hampshire. Edwin M. Knowles China Company. First issue in a limited edition series of fables. #15343A. Bradex #84-K81-31.1. $19.99 from Kathy Ignoto, Southwick, MA, through Ebay, April, '99. Second exemplar, #14083A, for $20 from Brenda Headley, Eastport, NY, May, '99. Third exemplar, #12125A, in excellent condition, for $5 from Rebecca Nader, Altoona, PA, through Ebay, Oct., '99.

The plate makes the wife the center of attention as she faces out at the viewer. The egg sits between her and us, and is surrounded by the proud goose and admiring animals and owner. Well done. Each exemplar includes a brochure presenting the fable's text and commenting on Hampshire's art.

1988 China plate of TH. Michael Hampshire. Edwin M. Knowles China Company. Second issue in limited edition series of fables. #6955A. Bradex #84-K81-31.2. $20 from Brenda Headley, Eastport, NY, May, '99. Second exemplar, #976A, in excellent condition, for $5 from Rebecca Nader, Altoona, PA, through Ebay, Oct., '99.

The tortoise approaches us in victory and is just reaching the finish ribbon held by a frog and a squirrel. The rabbit looks on in surprise from behind the tortoise. Richly colored! Included is a brochure presenting the fable's text and commenting on Hampshire's art.

1989 China plate of FG. Michael Hampshire. Edwin M. Knowles China Company. Third issue in limited edition series of fables. #815A. Bradex #84-K81-31.3. $30 from Daydream at Omaha Collectors' Fair, Nov., '89. Second exemplar, #998A, in excellent condition, for $5 from Rebecca Nader, Altoona, PA, through Ebay, Oct., '99.

Richly colored scene. The fox is perching on a wobbly stool on top of a barrel. Might the whole scene be unnecessarily busy?Included is a brochure presenting the fable's text and commenting on Hampshire's art.

1989 China plate of LM. Michael Hampshire. Edwin M. Knowles China Company. Fourth issue in limited edition series of fables. #216A. Bradex #84-K81-31.4. $20 from Brenda Headley, Eastport, NY, May, '99. Second exemplar, #2137A, in excellent condition, for $5 from Rebecca Nader, Altoona, PA, through Ebay, Oct., '99.

The mouse holds two ends of a split rope triumphantly in his paws. The lion is in the process of springing free from the net as a whole.The box and certificate have suffered water damage, but it seems not to have affected the plate.Included is a brochure presenting the fable's text and commenting on Hampshire's art.

1989 China plate of MM. Michael Hampshire. Edwin M. Knowles China Company. Fifth issue in limited edition series of fables. #1258A. Bradex #84-K81-31.5. $24.99 from Mack's Attic, Derry NH, through Ebay, March, '99.

Hampshire tends to work in a Rockwellian mode.Here the pretty dirndled maid sits with bowed legs and a flower drooping from her hands. Chicks swim in the milk, and the cat approaches to drink some. A goat nuzzles up to console the maid. Hampshire surrounds the scene as usual with plenty of farm animals and life. There is again a brochure of the fable included.

1989 China plate of BF, specifically "The Jay and the Peacock." Michael Hampshire. Edwin M. Knowles China Company. Sixth issue in limited edition series of fables. #1066A. Bradex #84-K81-31.6. $19.20 from Allen's Online, May, '99.

I had heard that there was a sixth in the series, and a little hunting around the web found Allen's selling it! Now as I try to reduplicate the feat, I cannot! The "eyes" of the peacock feathers stand out brilliantly for their color in this plate. Otherwise the jay is more furry than feathery. There are some littler birds chirping at him, but the peacocks only look on him from afar with disdain. A text brochure is included.