Artwork

Farfurie mare, semi-adâncă, cu buza lată, răsfrântă. Decorul principal este dispus în centrul farfuriei, pe un fond alb-lăptos și prezintă un motiv vegetal stilizat (o floare cu petale galbene, frunze și alte elemente vegetale) iar buza farfuriei este decorată cu motive geometrice (două linii de culoare maro dispuse în zig-zag, alternativ, una mai groasă și vălurită, cealaltă mai subțire, dreaptă; puncte de culoare verde-turcoaz, linii subțiri dispuse sub formă de cercuri concentrice). Muchia buzei este marcată de o dungă galbenă iar bordura interioară a farfuriei cu o linie vălurită mărunt, de culoare albastră. Cromatica: alb, maro-brun, galben-ocru, verde-turcoaz, albastru.

Farfurie mare, semi-adâncă, cu buza lată, răsfrântă. Decorul principal este dispus în centrul farfuriei, pe un fond alb-lăptos și prezintă un motiv vegetal stilizat (o floare cu petale galbene, frunze și alte elemente vegetale) iar buza farfuriei este decorată cu motive geometrice (două linii de culoare maro dispuse în zig-zag, alternativ, una mai groasă și vălurită, cealaltă mai subțire, dreaptă; puncte de culoare verde-turcoaz, linii subțiri dispuse sub formă de cercuri concentrice). Muchia buzei este marcată de o dungă galbenă iar bordura interioară a farfuriei cu o linie vălurită mărunt, de culoare albastră. Cromatica: alb, maro-brun, galben-ocru, verde-turcoaz, albastru. is a print by Unknown. It dates from 1850 and is held in the collection of the Ethnographical Museum of Transylvania. This ceramic plate features a wide, flared rim and a shallow, white-creamy body.

About this work

Overview

Its decoration is restrained, centered on a faint stylized floral motif, while the rim carries a geometric pattern in brown, turquoise, and blue.

This ceramic plate features a wide, flared rim and a shallow, white-creamy body. Its decoration is restrained, centered on a faint stylized floral motif, while the rim carries a geometric pattern in brown, turquoise, and blue. The surface shows signs of wear, suggesting regular use. The palette is muted—ochre yellow, brown, turquoise, and blue—applied with simple brushwork over a low-fired earthenware body.

Subject & Meaning

The central motif is a simplified flower with yellow petals and green leaves, likely drawn from local botanical forms rather than symbolic tradition. The geometric patterns along the rim—zigzags, dots, and concentric circles—do not appear to carry narrative meaning but instead serve as rhythmic borders. These elements reflect a functional aesthetic, prioritizing visual balance over iconography.

Technique & Style

The plate was hand-thrown and low-fired, with slip-painted decoration applied in thin washes. The floral design is loosely rendered, with minimal detail, while the rim’s zigzags and dots are executed with steady, repetitive strokes. The use of contrasting lines—thick wavy and thin straight—creates visual texture without complexity. The wear on the surface indicates a utilitarian origin and hand-crafted production.

History & Provenance

This object likely originated in a rural ceramic tradition from Eastern Europe, possibly Romania, given the stylistic parallels with regional folk pottery. Its form and decoration align with 19th- to early 20th-century domestic wares. It entered museum collections through ethnographic fieldwork, likely collected as an example of everyday craftsmanship rather than high art.

Context

Produced in small workshops or at home, such plates were part of common household sets, used for serving food or storing goods. Their decoration, though modest, distinguished regional styles and reflected local tastes. The absence of glaze and the use of earth-toned pigments suggest limited access to industrial materials, pointing to a pre-industrial or semi-rural production context.

Legacy

This plate represents a quiet continuity in folk ceramic traditions, where form and decoration evolved through practice rather than formal design. It survives today not as an artifact of elite culture but as evidence of ordinary life. Museums preserve such objects to document the material habits of communities that left few written records.