Product Overview
This is an antique Ralph Clews Historical Staffordshire dark blue transferware plate (c. 1820s) in the sought-after "States" pattern (also known as Fifteen States or America and Independence). Produced by James & Ralph Clews at Cobridge, Staffordshire, England, this early 19th-century piece features a central transfer-printed scene of a grand estate mansion across a lawn with grazing sheep.
The central medallion is flanked by allegorical figures representing America and Liberty, topped by a portrait bust of George Washington. Surrounding the scene is a scalloped, festooned border bearing ribbon banners listing 15 early American states: New York, Delaware, Virginia, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Vermont, Kentucky, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. The reverse features an impressed crown-and-wreath maker mark reading "CLEWS WARRANTIES STAFFORDSHIRE". The plate measures approximately 8 3/4 inches in diameter.
Condition note: The plate exhibits significant AS-IS damage and early restoration, including a heavy rim chip/loss with old dark blue touch-up paint along the upper right edge, a visible hairline crack extending through the center, and typical glaze firing specks.
The central medallion is flanked by allegorical figures representing America and Liberty, topped by a portrait bust of George Washington. Surrounding the scene is a scalloped, festooned border bearing ribbon banners listing 15 early American states: New York, Delaware, Virginia, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Vermont, Kentucky, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. The reverse features an impressed crown-and-wreath maker mark reading "CLEWS WARRANTIES STAFFORDSHIRE". The plate measures approximately 8 3/4 inches in diameter.
Condition note: The plate exhibits significant AS-IS damage and early restoration, including a heavy rim chip/loss with old dark blue touch-up paint along the upper right edge, a visible hairline crack extending through the center, and typical glaze firing specks.