Plate 1760 - 1804

This porcelain plate was created by the Ansbach Pottery and Porcelain Factory. Note the cascade of flowers in the center of the plate, surrounded by stylized wheat. These symbols of life and bounty, of course, have deep roots stretching back to antiquity when such motifs were deployed in the service of gods like Demeter and Ceres, promising fruitful harvests. The image takes on new resonance given its appearance on a plate. A daily reminder, a ritualized practice of ingesting sustenance from such a vessel, transforms the act of eating into a symbolic engagement with nature's abundance. The use of these symbols speaks to a primal human desire: to find assurance in nature's ability to provide. It is a manifestation of hope, a continuous cycle of renewal that feeds not just the body, but also the spirit. This desire transcends time, resurfacing in various forms, as it speaks to our basic instinct for survival and our enduring connection to the natural world.