Plate

1736-1784

Maker

Francis Piggott (working 1736-1784)

Measurements

5/8 in x 8-3/8 in (dia)

Materials

Pewter

Credit Line

Historic Odessa Foundation, The David Wilson Mansion, Inc.

Accession Number

1971.874

Inscription

In addition to the worn a barely legible maker's marks on the outside bottom, this plate has “D / I::E” engraved into the rim.

Condition Notes

The plate has a hole in the bottom that has been filled with solder and smoothed.  The overall plate surface shows oxidation and pitting.  The maker's marks on the outside bottom are very worn.

Provenance

Ex coll. Mrs. E. Tatnall (Mary Corbit) Warner

Comments

This plate, with a single reed running around the outside edge of the rim, bears the mark of a wel-known London pewterer.  In addition, the plate has the initials of early owners, perhaps the first.  “D / I::E” is engraved, or rather scratched deeply, into the rim.  The initials face outward, rather than inward. which is common.  The "D," raised above the other two initials, likely stands for the last name.  The "I" and "E" denote the first names of the husband and wife.  Pre-1790 alphabets generally did not use a "J" or "U," substituting "I" and "V" in their place.  Similarly, the device separating the two initials is of a type commonly used in the mid-18th century rather than after the Revolutionary War.