Charger
Dateca. 1690
OriginEngland, London
MediumTin-glazed earthenware (delft)
DimensionsDiam: 12 3/4"
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number1968-625
DescriptionShallow-bowled charger with everted rim and foot ring. Lead glaze on the back; white tin glaze on the front decorated predominately in blue with a king wearing royal robes on horseback in a landscape with sponged trees and grass. Mane, tail, hair, and boot in manganese black. Blue dash rim with an inner blue band.Label TextThe design source for this royal portrait is an engraving by Cornelius van Dalen of Charles I entering Edinburgh in 1641, which appeared as the frontispiece to J. Nalson's Journal of the Tryal of King Charles I in 1684. The print was used before 1685, during the reign of Charles II, to represent that monarch on delft chargers and after 1685 to represent James II and William III. Whereas the style of the landscape suggests that the charger postdates Charles II's reign, the monarch depicted, like Charles, has a mustache. The charger therefore may not represent William at all, but may be a posthumous portrait of Charles II or even a portrait of James II. Polychrome chargers with similar renditions of the same scene have the strong colors attributed to London.
InscribedNo
MarkingsNo
ProvenanceTilley & Co., London
