Aesop's Fables Plate
PeriodCirca 1870 - 1890
Place MadeBrownhills, Staffordshire, England
MediumGlazed earthenware
Dimensions6.5 in. (16.5 cm)
ClassificationsEarthenware
Credit LineGift of Jack L. Steinberg, 1985
Object number1985.2.18
DescriptionA small circular plate of soft glazed white earthenware, with a wide rim, shallow well, and low foot rim. The plate is ornamented with bold black transfer printing. In the well, a lively image of the Aesop's fable "The Leopard and the Fox" can be seen, with a large upper case ornamented alphabet on the wide rim, between two narrow decorative bands.NotesAesop's Fables were popular subjects for children's books, games, ceramics, and other child-centric materials throughout the nineteenth century. The clear and easily understood moral at the end of each brief story was a powerful teaching moment. In the tale of the Leopard and the Fox, the animals debated over which was the finer creature. The leopard pointed to his bold spotted fur, to which the fox replied "A fine coat is not always an indication of an attractive mind." According to the Greek writer and geographer Herodotus, Aesop was the author of a series of tales or fables in the fifth century B.C., although many scholars believe Aesop to be a fictitious personage. Nonetheless, the short stories, usually with animals as central characters, and their powerful moral endings, were perennially popular.
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