Susan Frackelton Hand Painted BUTTERFLIES + Stars 1886

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An exceptionally fine and rare signed and dated hand painted porcelain plate by Susan Frackelton, one of the pioneers of American china decorating. This plate measures 9 1/4" diameter and is signed "Frackelton" upon the back. It is dated 1886. Susan Frackelton decorated china by hand and, in 1885, published her book "Tried By Fire: A Work On China-Painting" which was one of the first and most important books on the subject. The hand painted decoration consists of butterflies and a constellation of stars. The butterflies are painted in enamel upon the gold, crescent-moon shaped ground which forms a surround to a glazed but primarily unpainted reserve. T is, however, a pattern of hand painted stars within the reserve. The stars are painted in bright gold. Each butterfly is very clearly and distinctly painted with extraordinary color and detail. The result is extremely naturalistic and beautiful. This was obviously a very painstaking labor and evidences the considerable skill for which Frackelton was known. In "Tried By Fire", Frackelton discusses techniques and materials at great length. She treats the subject of painting butterflies on page 104. "The butterfly ..." she writes "should be modeled quite high with the relief-paste. When partially dry, raise the veins and spots in the wings, building them well up; after firing, paint them with red bronze, silver and gold." She adds: "The butterfly is very beautiful with jewels in his wings, or just the eyes jeweled. If you apply the real jewels, it is best to burnish the butterfly after the gold fire; then apply the jewels, and fire by themselves." The origin of the blank is unknown - it is unmarked - but it is heavy true porcelain and the design (with a shaped rim punctuated with circular openings) is distinctly Japanese. This could, however, be due to the late 19th century Japanese influence upon European decorative art and design and it is probable that the plate is European in origin. Frackelton also addresses the sources of porcelain blanks in her book, and it is clear that she used blanks from many European sources including those made in Limoges, France. The Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum had an exhibition of Frackelton's work in 2004. The catalog for the exhibition includes, on page 37, a photographic guide to the signatures and marks used by Frackelton during her career. The signature upon this plate is a very early signature used by Susan Frackelton. It is important to note that Frackelton employed other decorators, but when items were decorated by others, the pieces were not signed or were signed "Decorated in the studio of Susan S. Frackelton". The signature upon this plate indicates that Frackelton personally painted it. Frackelton was a contemporary of George Ohr. Some ten years after she painted this plate, she began throwing her own ceramic vessels and did some work directly with Ohr. Her hand thrown ceramics are also rare and extremely expensive. Frackelton is noted as a pioneer in every important work on American ceramic arts. This plate is in excellent condition. T are no chips, cracks, stains or scratches to the porcelain body and the painted surfaces are clean, fresh and undamaged. This is an exceptional example of American hand painted porcelain and, at more than one hundred and twenty years of age, it is rare to find in any condition - much less in this near-pristine state. This is one of seven similar plates that we are offering on eBay - they are all that we have, and all that we have ever seen. PLEASE NOTE that the plates are all painted upon similarly shaped blanks BUT THE PAINTING UPON EACH PLATE IS UNIQUE. Every butterfly upon each plate is distinct and these were NOT painted from a template or stencil. They were hand drawn and worked, each one individually a work of art, and you will want to view all seven listings to see the rich diversity of color and form of the butterflies upon each plate. It is truly astonishing to contemplate. It is extremely unlikely that you will have another chan... read more

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