Plate Duke of Clarence BM 1887 0307 V 83

Armorial ware or heraldic china (and a variety of other terms) are

ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant, and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcela ...

s decorated with a

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

, either that of a family, or an institution or place. Armorials have been popular on European pottery from the Middle Ages with examples seen on Spanish

Hispano-Moresque ware Hispano-Moresque ware is a style of initially Islamic pottery created in Al-Andalus (Muslim Iberia), which continued to be produced under Christian rule in styles blending Islamic and European elements. It was the most elaborate and luxurious ...

, Italian

maiolica Maiolica is tin-glazed pottery decorated in colours on a white background. The most renowned Italian maiolica is from the Renaissance period. These works were known as ''istoriato'' wares ("painted with stories") when depicting historical and ...

slipware Slipware is pottery identified by its primary decorating process where slip is placed onto the leather-hard (semi-hardened) clay body surface before firing by dipping, painting or splashing. Slip is an aqueous suspension of a clay body, whi ...

, English and Dutch Delft, and on

porcelain Porcelain (), also called china, is a ceramic material made by heating Industrial mineral, raw materials, generally including kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The greater strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to oth ...

from the 18th century. Earlier examples were mostly large pieces such as jugs or basins and ewers, but later whole table services, all painted with the arms, were produced. Silver tableware also often had coats of arms engraved on it, but as

replaced metal as the favoured material for elite tableware in the 18th century, armorial porcelain became very popular. When

overglaze decoration Overglaze decoration, overglaze enamelling, or on-glaze decoration, is a method of decorating pottery, most often porcelain, where the coloured decoration is applied on top of the already fired and Ceramic glaze, glazed surface, and then fixed in ...

was used, the pottery could produce the glazed ware without the arms, which were then added when a commission was received. Place card-01

The term is most often associated with

Chinese export porcelain Chinese export porcelain includes a wide range of Chinese porcelain that was made (almost) exclusively for export to Europe and later to North America between the 16th and the 20th century. Whether wares made for non-Western markets are covered ...

, often decorated with the arms and crests of European and American families from the late 17th century through the 19th century. A painting of the arms was sent out to China, and after a considerable period the painted service arrived. British clients imported about 4000 services from 1695 until 1820, when a new prohibitive tax stopped the trade, as the British government sought to protect the domestic potteries. They were, and even more are, often used at table only on special occasions. They are popular with collectors. Seventeenth-century Dutch armorial plates are called ''wapenborden'' and were commonly sold with recurring emblems that cannot be traced to any specific family. File:Manises Basin with arms of Maria of Castile VA 243-1853.jpg,

Manises Manises (, ) is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Horta Oest in the Valencian Community, Spain. Located in the province of Valencia, it had 30,693 inhabitants in 2018 (NSI) and is famous for its pottery and being the location of Valencia Airp ...

, basin with arms of Maria of Castile, before 1458 File:Nicola da urbino, piatto con il supplizio di marsia, 1525 ca..JPG, Italian

dish by Nicola da Urbino, c. 1525, with story of

Marsyas In Greek mythology, the satyr Marsyas (; ) is a central figure in two stories involving music: in one, he picked up the double oboe (''aulos'') that had been abandoned by Athena and played it; in the other, he challenged Apollo to a contest of ...

File:Bord, veelkleurig beschilderd met een wapen met als helmteken een vogel met gestrekte vleugels. Gekartelde rand..jpeg, 1620 – c. 1640 Dutch armorial plate, Rijksmuseum File:Custard Cup and Cover LACMA 33.1.1.6a-b (1 of 2).jpg, Chinese "custard cup", c. 1750 File:Porslins-tallrik med Grillska vapnet.jpg, Plate for the Swedish Grill family, China, 18th century File:Willem Jansz. Verstraeten - Scotel met onbekende wapen BK-NM-14179.jpg, 1645–1655 Haarlem armorial plate, Rijksmuseum

References

Types of pottery decoration Chinese porcelain {{Heraldry-stub

See also

References