Religious plaques
Pink lustre 'Prepare to meet thy god' plaques
Left photo: Mostly early plaques, which are smaller in size, and are listed by pottery on the 'early religious' pages. The three slightly larger plaques (the first and second in the front row, and the centre plaque in the second row) date from c1845. Right photo: By 1850, large rectangular plaques had come into fashion. These plaques, which make up the bulk of the 'later religious' pages, were produced in much larger quantities, and there are many subtle variations.
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'PREPARE TO MEET THY GOD' is the most common verse found on plaques. The top left rectangular plaque gives the source, 'Amos IV..12'. Others show a trumpeting angel surmounted by the verse 'In thee O Lord do I put my trust; let me never be Confounded; PSA: XXXI. Vir. 1.'. The circular plaque on the left of the middle row has the impressed mark 'C. C&Co' for Cornfoot, Colville & Co of the Low Lights Pottery, Newcastle. Several have an 'all-seeing eye'.
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Five larger plaques, all unmarked. The top left attributed to Scott's Southwick Pottery. The centre and top right are high quality plaques with unusually wide pink-lustre borders.
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Pink lustre 'Thou god see'st me' plaques
As with the 'Prepare' plaques, the earlier 'Thou god' plaques tend to be smaller in size (see below left photo). These are listed by pottery on the 'early religious' pages. By 1850, large rectangular plaques had come into fashion (see below right). These plaques make up the bulk of the 'later religious' pages.
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'THOU GOD SEE'ST ME' is the second most common inscription. The two circular plaques on the left also have the impressed mark 'C. C&Co.'. Three of the plaques have hand painted text. One has green flecked brushstrokes associated with the Maling factory, but no maker's mark.
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The top left with the impressed mark 'MOORE & Co'. The top right with an unidentified impressed crown mark. That transfer is also used on green-cornered plaques. The centre plaque with a transfer similar to those on plaques attributed to John Carr's Pottery, Newcastle (see below). The front left with unusual cross-hatched decoration on a plaque attributed to Scott.
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Other common inscriptions
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Plaques with the inscriptions: 'PRAISE YE THE LORD', 'PRAISE THE LORD' and 'REJOICE IN THE LORD'. None of the plaques is marked. The two large 'Rejoice...' plaques are of a form attributed to John Carr (see below).
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The bottom three plaques from the Garrison pottery, stamped 'Dixon Co'. Rectangular versions can also be found with the 'Dixon, Phillips & Co' anchor mark. I haven't yet seen the circular version with that earlier mark. The top centre plaque is of a rare flat-bordered form, and has the bible reference at the top of the text. The verses given below.
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Behold GOD
will not cast away a perfect man, neither will HE help the evil doers. Job.8. 20. |
Wesley and Clarke, and plaques attributed to John Carr, Newcastle
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Plaques with John Wesley and Adam Clarke. The larger two attributed to John Carr, and profusely decorated. (The faces of Wesley and Clarke are over painted, so they appear to be wearing heavy make-up!) The two left rectangular plaques, and the top right circular, marked 'Dixon Co'. The bottom right plaque with the 'Dixon, Phillips & Co' anchor mark. There are Garrison versions of both Wesley and Clarke (round and rectangular) with the banner 'THOU GOD SEEST ME'.
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Five plaques attributed to John Carr's North Shields Pottery (Newcastle). 'God is Love' and 'Rejoice in the Lord' may be transfers peculiar to Newcastle potteries, as they don't appear on Sunderland-marked plaques. The bottom centre has the poem 'Friendship, Love and Truth' which is transcribed on the Poetic verses sub-page.
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Orange plaques
Baker shows a similar orange plaque to those on the right and left, and writes: 'Probably Ball's Deptford Pottery, c1870'. Orange lustre was used between the period 1860–1890, and Baker writes that the quality of orange items 'is usually extremely poor'. Orange lustre has a tendency to become very rubbed. The combination of rubbing, poor potting, and a later production date, makes orange plaques less attractive to collectors.
