Illinois Plate

Joseph S. Potter served as a diplomat and United States Consul in Germany. There he embraced the hobby of china painting after noticing women in the consulate taking lessons and later visiting the Meissen Porcelain Manufactory. Potter painted a series of “states” plates, including this Illinois plate, which is decorated in colored enamels, glazes, gold, and silver. Inside the gold patterned cartouche is a bald eagle against rays of sunshine. In its beak it carries a band inscribed with the Illinos state motto, “State Sovereignty, National Union.” In the late 19th century, when such pieces were at the height of their popularity, these plates would have been displayed in china cabinets alongside other prized possessions.