Artwork
Farfurie de formă tronconică ce prezintă două registre ornamentale, unul plasat de jur împrejurul buzei cu motive florale. Al doilea registru plasat în centru cu motive deasemenea florale. La posterior, baza inelară perforată pentru atârnare. Cromatică: fond: crem; motive: verde; albastru.

Farfurie de formă tronconică ce prezintă două registre ornamentale, unul plasat de jur împrejurul buzei cu motive florale. Al doilea registru plasat în centru cu motive deasemenea florale. La posterior, baza inelară perforată pentru atârnare. Cromatică: fond: crem; motive: verde; albastru. is an unspecified painting by Unknown. It dates from 1850 and is held in the collection of the ASTRA National Museum Complex. This shallow, conical dish features a cream‑colored background adorned with two concentric ornamental bands.
About this work
Overview
This shallow, conical dish features a cream‑colored background adorned with two concentric ornamental bands. A narrow rim band displays small green and blue floral motifs, while a broader central band repeats the same simplified leaf‑and‑bud designs in slightly larger scale. A perforated circular base at the underside suggests the piece was intended for hanging.
Subject & Meaning
The decorative program consists exclusively of stylised botanical elements—leaf shapes and budding flowers rendered in muted green and blue. Such motifs, common in folk ceramic traditions, often symbolise fertility and the renewal of nature, serving both aesthetic and protective functions on everyday objects.
Technique & Style
The dish is executed in a low‑relief painting technique, with pigments applied thinly over a light‑toned ceramic slip. The colour palette is restrained, relying on softened earth tones and pastel greens and blues that have faded with age. The overall form and decorative scheme align with traditional Romanian folk pottery, characterised by modest, repetitive patterns.
History & Provenance
The presence of a hanging hole indicates the piece was likely used as a wall‑mounted plate for offerings or decorative display in a domestic setting. Its worn rim and patina suggest prolonged use, typical of utilitarian objects in rural households. No specific maker’s mark is evident, placing it within an anonymous folk production context.
Context
Conical, shallow dishes of this type were common in the Balkans during the 19th and early 20th centuries, serving both practical and ceremonial purposes. The dual ornamental registers reflect a visual hierarchy often employed in regional ceramic workshops, where the outer band frames the central motif.
Legacy
While modest in scale, such pieces illustrate the continuity of vernacular ceramic traditions and their role in everyday visual culture. They provide insight into regional aesthetic preferences and the transmission of decorative motifs across generations.

















