Plate c. 1930

This plate was made by the Noritake Porcelain Company, using porcelain. The deep cobalt glaze is like a midnight swim! I'm immediately drawn to the small ammonite fossils scattered across its face. Each little guy is like a tiny, self-contained galaxy, spiraling out from a central point. The creamy, almost chalky, quality of the fossils really pops against that glassy, saturated blue. The more I look, the more I get a sense of whimsy. It’s echoed in the squiggly lines that seem to connect the fossils, and even in the border. It's almost like a playful doodle, and maybe this design is just a record of someone having fun. It brings to mind the work of Hilma af Klint, with her own spiraling abstract forms and spiritual diagrams. It's like this plate is a reminder that art can be found in the most unexpected places, even on something as simple as a piece of porcelain.