Exceedingly Rare Diminutive Redware Dish with Sgraffito Decoration, possibly Samuel Paul, Hereford Township, Berks County, PA, late 18th or early 19th century, with coggled edge, the interior decorated with a large sgraffito decoration of a tulip flanked by compasses and wavy lines, executed in yellow slip and covered in a clear lead glaze. Significant in its size and condition, this example features two iconic Pennsylvania-German motifs, the tulip and compass, both also found on furniture, fraktur, and other crafts from this decorative school. It is the smallest American sgraffito-decorated dish that we are aware of. The reverse side includes the pencil inscription "Mary from Grandmother / Feb. 25 1909 / 1854". The date "1854" likely refers to a previous year of acquisition, as the decoration indicates a much earlier date of manufacture. Provenance: A fresh-to-the-market example, purchased at the estate auction of Mary Moyer in Bally, PA in 1998, located five miles from the site of Paul's pottery. This plate survives in remarkable, excellent condition with only very minor wear to the interior, a state of preservation rarely found in Pennsylvania-German sgraffitoware. Old varnish to reverse, unrelated to any restoration, was likely applied to preserve the pencil inscription circa 1909. Diameter 5 1/8".
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