Minton Majolica "Shakespeare" platter, plate from 1873, unique, in excellent condition. A wonderful large Victorian plate, majolica platter (majolica is pottery coated with an opaque lead-tin glaze with rich colors, a type of earthenware) by Minton, made to commemorate the 300th anniversary of Shakespeare's birth in 1564. Beautiful design with stylized, overlapping shapes shells and decorative yellow and green stripes and a frieze around the center. It also has a cameo with Shakespeare's profile on the front and royal symbols, one ER for Elizabeth I and the other VR for Victoria. The dominant colors are: brown, green, ochre. On the back there is the signature of the ceramics manufacturer MINTON and the number "1105", which include the factory date code of 1873. The inscription around the edge: HE WAS NOT OF AN AGE BUT FOR ALL TIME Dimensions: 31 cm in diameter; Perfect condition apart from two small damages on the inside of the edge (completely invisible from the front). Mintons was a major Staffordshire pottery company, "the leading European pottery factory in the Victorian era", an independent company from 1793 to 1968. She was a leader in ceramic design, working in a wide variety of ceramic forms and decorative techniques. In addition to pottery and sculpture, the company was a leading manufacturer of tiles and other architectural ceramics, producing work for both the Houses of Parliament and the United States Capitol. The family controlled the company until the mid-20th century. Mintons has had some variety of companies and trading names in Staffordshire over the years, but products from all periods are generally referred to as "Minton", "Minton China" or "Mintons". Mintons Ltd has been the name of the company since 1879.