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"Illinois" Plate

A work made of hard paste porcelain.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of hard paste porcelain.

Date:

c. 1878–89

Artist:

Decorated by Joseph S. Potter
American, 1822–1904

About this artwork

Joseph S. Potter served as a diplomat and United States Consul in Germany, where he embraced the hobby of china painting after he noticed women in the consulate taking lessons and later visited the Meissen Porcelain Manufactory. Potter painted a series of “states” plates, including this Illinois plate, which is decorated in polychromatic minerals, gold, and silver. Inside the gold, filigree-patterned cartouche, “Illinois” is depicted as a bald eagle against rays of sunshine, with the state motto, “State Sovereignty, National Union.” In the late 19th century, when such pieces were at the height of their popularity, these plates would have been displayed in china cabinets, alongside other ceramics.

Status

On View, Gallery 176

Department

Arts of the Americas

Artist

Joseph Potter

Title

"Illinois" Plate

Place

United States (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

c. 1878–1889

Medium

Hard paste porcelain

Dimensions

Diam.: 21.3 cm (8 3/8 in.)

Credit Line

Purchased with funds provided by Harry Root

Reference Number

2011.270

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/212969/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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