Art Institute of Chicago

Charger

London, England

Date

c. 1675

Medium

Tin-glazed earthenware

Culture

Lambeth

Department

Applied Arts of Europe

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

This charger, or large plate, is an example of English delftware, a kind of tin-glazed earthenware made with techniques similar to those used to produce ceramics in the town of Delft in Holland. The scene on the charger shows the serpent compelling Eve to tempt Adam, resulting in their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Striking visual characteristics of this dish include the speckled trunk of the tree and the fact that both Adam and Eve have similarly rounded bellies and bosoms. The charger’s color scheme, dominated by blues, yellows, and greens on a white background, is typical of English delftware of the period. The serpent, with its striped body and dragon-like face, appears ready to bite the fruit out of Eve’s outstretched left hand. The coloring of the Tree of Knowledge has a kind of storybook charm, with a green trunk and blue foliage and large yellow orbs of fruit, resembling oranges or Asian pears. It is possible that this piece was made for someone associated with the Worshipful Company of Fruiterers, one of the London guilds, whose coat of arms included a representation of Adam and Eve with the forbidden fruit.

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