Americana Pair Antique English White Salt Glazed Stoneware Dishes 18th Century

Pair of 18th Century English Salt Glazed Oval Dishes — A Style Favored by George Washington This lovely pair of small salt glazed oval dishes is a true piece of Americana—a style admired and imported by George Washington himself. In the fall of 1757, Washington received the first of several shipments of white salt glazed stoneware from Thomas Knox, a merchant in Bristol, England. These refined ceramics were fashionable and practical additions to his Virginia table. In a letter dated December 26, 1757, Washington noted that the shipment arrived “incomplete with two things broke,” reflecting not only the fragility of the ware, but also its desirability and significance. Made in England circa 1760, this pair of dishes is crisply molded in the Basket-Dot-Diaper pattern, one of the most elegant and technically accomplished designs of the period. The fine white body, achieved through a blend of Devonshire clay and calcinated flint, marked a turning point in English stoneware production. Its cleaner, whiter surface distinguished these wares from earlier, browner-bodied examples. Salt glaze stoneware of this kind was widely used in Colonial America and admired for its beauty and durability. Shards of this pattern have been recovered archaeologically in Colonial Williamsburg, providing direct evidence of its presence and popularity in 18th-century American homes. (See: Salt-Glazed Stoneware in Early America, Skerry & Hood, p. 151.) This pair offers not only elegant design but also a tangible connection to the ceramics that helped shape the material culture of early America. Dimensions: 7.25″ long x 6″ wide Condition: Excellent, with only minor original firing anomalies typical of 18th-century production