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Plate (Lafayette at the Tomb of Washington)

Decorative Arts and Design

Mourning miniatures worn as tokens of private loss echoed the iconography that appeared in images memorializing public figures. George Washington’s 1799 death inspired a proliferation of com-memorative objects in a wide range of media, including transfer-printed ceramics mass-produced in England for the American market. This plate depicts the French Marquis de Lafayette (1757–1834), who fought with the colonists in the Revolutionary War and made a celebrated visit to the United States in 1824, mourning at the graveside of his good friend Washington.
MEDIUM Glazed earthenware
  • Place Manufactured: England
  • DATES ca. 1825–1830
    DIMENSIONS 9/16 x 7 3/8 x 7 3/8 in. (1.4 x 18.7 x 18.7 cm)  (show scale)
    MARKINGS No marks
    SIGNATURE no signature
    INSCRIPTIONS no inscriptions
    ACCESSION NUMBER 60.213.212
    CREDIT LINE Gift of Mrs. William C. Esty
    CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Plate, earthenware, round, slightly scalloped shape. Transfer-printed designs in blue. Border: Flora and fauna. Center: view of Lafayette at the tomb of Washington; urn on square base with plaque labeled "WASHINGTON" on left, seated male, crossed legs, facing left holding book on right, circular domed and columned temple and ship before sunset in background. Source of design - Drawing by D.W. Jackson
    EXHIBITIONS
    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
    CAPTION Enoch Wood & Sons (active 1818–1846). Plate (Lafayette at the Tomb of Washington), ca. 1825–1830. Glazed earthenware, 9/16 x 7 3/8 x 7 3/8 in. (1.4 x 18.7 x 18.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mrs. William C. Esty, 60.213.212. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.60.213.212.jpg)
    IMAGE overall, CUR.60.213.212.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 5/5/2008
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    RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
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    Enoch Wood & Sons (active 1818–1846). <em>Plate (Lafayette at the Tomb of Washington)</em>, ca. 1825–1830. Glazed earthenware, 9/16 x 7 3/8 x 7 3/8 in. (1.4 x 18.7 x 18.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mrs. William C. Esty, 60.213.212. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.60.213.212.jpg)