Plate 1758 - 1790

This pewter plate was made in the United States by Jacob Whitmore. Its circular form, an unbroken ring, echoes the cycles of life, death, and rebirth found in ancient cultures. The circle, a potent symbol across time, represents wholeness, eternity, and the cosmos. Consider its resemblance to ancient Egyptian sun disks, emblems of Ra, or the mandalas of Buddhist traditions, each invoking a sense of cosmic order. Even in Christian iconography, halos signify divine presence, drawing upon this archetypal symbol. The simple plate, then, is more than mere utilitarian object. It becomes a vessel of shared human experiences. Its enduring form speaks to the collective unconscious, where primal symbols resonate, connecting us to those who came before.