Plate
1 of 2
Caption
John Mackie Falconer American, 1820–1903. Plate, ca. 1875. Porcelain, 1 1/8 x 9 x 9 in. (2.9 x 22.9 x 22.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Emma and Jay Lewis, 1992.163.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 1992.163.2_bw.jpg)
Decorator
Manufacturer
Title
Plate
Date
ca. 1875
Geography
Place manufactured: Greenpoint, Brooklyn, New York, United States
Medium
Porcelain
Classification
Dimensions
1 1/8 x 9 x 9 in. (2.9 x 22.9 x 22.9 cm)
Inscriptions
In the rim, at bottom: "BROOKLYN. L.I."
Markings
On front, in bouge near sitter's arm: "JMF 1875" On back painted in gray: "8 / a / Philosopher / J. M. Falconer / pinxt / made...... / Union Porcelain Wor... / ... L.I. / Decr. 6/75"
Credit Line
Gift of Emma and Jay Lewis
Accession Number
1992.163.2
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
Frequent Art Questions
Please tell me about this plate.
The plate itself was manufactured in Brooklyn at the Union Porcelain Works which was the largest porcelain manufacturer in America. The decoration around the rim and profile "philosopher" figure in the center were actually hand painted, likely by a professional or amateur artist. This kind of of china painting was quite common at the time. Artists would purchase white plates, referred to as "blanks," and then hand paint them. This type of object would likely have been displayed in the home as art, rather than being used as a functional plate to eat from.
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