19th century lustre plaques are mostly associated with the potteries of Sunderland (Wearside) and Newcastle (Tyneside), in the North East of England. However, plaques were made in Staffordshire and elsewhere too. Many are unmarked, making attribution difficult. There are several books on lustreware, but none yet specifically on plaques. This makes life both exciting and confusing for collectors. Images of plaques are hard to come by, so only after years of searching do you get an idea of what's out there. I hope this website will improve that, and encourage plaque collectors to share their knowledge and collections.
How to use the site
There are over 1000 images of plaques on this website, divided into the following four categories:
Early plaques (pre-1845) - mostly small circular or small rectangular religious plaques made between 1817 and c1845, and grouped by pottery, e.g. Dixon, Maling
Religious - mostly pink-lustre plaques with religious texts and subjects, made between c1845 and 1900, and grouped by transfer, e.g. Prepare to meet thy god, John Wesley.
Maritime - ship plaques, and seafaring-related plaques, e.g. Crimean War plaques
Miscellaneous - plaques with other subject matter, e.g. Emblems and armorials, Portraits, Landscapes
The attributions on this site have evolved as more information has become available. The blog posts reflect that, as I never go back and rewrite them.
The author, Stephen Smith, lives in London, and is always happy to hear from other collectors. If you can add any information, or have an interesting plaque, please get in touch.