Plateelbakkerij Zuid-Holland - Plate - 646 - Earthenware - Polychrome

Plateelbakkerij Zuid-Holland Gouda Plate, Model 646, c. 1910 - 1920

A striking Dutch Gouda pottery plate made by Plateelbakkerij Zuid-Holland, one of the most important pottery factories of Gouda. The plate is decorated in a rich polychrome design with flowing, stylised floral and abstract forms in warm and deep tones, set against a dark ground and framed by a glossy black rim.

The decoration sits beautifully between Art Nouveau and early Art Deco. The organic forms still have the curling, botanical energy of Jugendstil, while the strong colour contrasts, dark outlines and bold graphic rhythm point clearly toward the decorative confidence of the 1920s. Leaves, flowers and abstract tendrils move across the plate in a dense ornamental composition: not quiet tableware, but a small round stage for colour and line.

The underside is marked Gouda, Made in Holland, with the factory mark for Plateelbakkerij Zuid-Holland, model number 646, and additional painter/decorator marks.

Plateelbakkerij Zuid-Holland was founded in Gouda in 1898 and became one of the leading producers of Dutch decorative earthenware, often referred to as Gouds plateel. The factory worked with many designers and decorators and became especially known for its expressive, hand-decorated ceramics.

This is a particularly decorative example: colourful, graphic and unmistakably Dutch, with that wonderful early Gouda feeling where floral ornament begins to behave almost architecturally.

Condition
Good antique condition with wear consistent with age. There are surface scratches to the glaze and some light age-related wear to the glossy black rim. The decoration remains strong and highly presentable.