Zilveren regeringsjubileum van Wilhelmina, koningin der Nederlanden 1923

This is a commemorative plate made in 1923 by De Porceleijne Fles, celebrating the silver jubilee of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands. The plate's decoration feels both formal and folksy. The blue decoration is applied with a steady hand, but the patterns have a handmade quality. The blues and golds give it a regal feel, but the crackled glaze and the simple composition keep it humble. Look closely at the way the paint pools in the little wells of the crackled surface; it is like a map of tiny rivulets, aging gracefully. My eye is drawn to the small fountain at the base of the tree. It’s rendered so simply, yet it feels like a real place, a civic space perhaps. It reminds me of the work of outsider artists like James Castle, who transformed simple materials into imaginary worlds. This plate isn’t just a functional object; it’s a little world, full of memory and meaning. It shows how everyday objects can become vessels of history and imagination, transforming utilitarian things into something precious.