Quatrefoil Dish c. 1800

This delicately ornamented quatrefoil dish was made by Wedgwood, around 1759. The arrangement presents a visual interplay between the white porcelain and the carefully applied green decorations. Each form is outlined with a scalloped edge, while botanical illustrations appear in the centre of each piece. The consistent use of white and green across the entire collection establishes a visual language that speaks to the aesthetic values of the period. We see a structuralist influence where decorations are not merely superficial, but integral to the dishes' identity. The motifs of foliage are not randomly scattered, but systematically placed to create a semiotic relationship between form and representation. The careful orchestration of shapes, lines, and colors invite a conversation about value, taste, and the representation of nature within domestic objects. As you consider this dish, recognize how its formal properties function aesthetically and also as part of broader cultural and philosophical ideas.