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Tin-Glazed Earthenware Plate

(c) Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield MA. All rights reserved.
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This earthenware plate was fashionable in the 18th century, with its tin glaze and Chinese-inspired decoration ("chinoiserie"). It was made in England and was the kind that was both imported to the colonies and brought by the colonists themselves when they emigrated. A tin glaze for pottery was first developed in the 9th century to provide a superficial imitation of the white porcelain already being brought to western Europe from China. From the very beginning, the tin glazed enamel technique was an attempt to produce at low cost a ceramic that achieved the whiteness of Chinese porcelain and was capable of being decorated in color.

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