Dish
Date1810-1840
Mediumporcelain and overglaze enamels
DimensionsOverall: 1 x 9 1/2 in. (2.5 x 24.1 cm)
ClassificationsContainers
Credit LineGift of Brian A. Dursum
Object number2007.40.10
DescriptionFitzhugh is the name given to a pattern that first appears in the late 18th century and continued to be produced until the 1860s. Very few lines, as in this example, were used to create the extremely complex design, which are this style’s signature. Fitzhugh is a name given to this style by Western merchants, or possibly later by dealers. The name’s origin has been the subject of much debate. It is speculated that the name references a British East India Company’s Director, one of several engaged in the China trade. Since the style originated in the 1790’s, its principal importance was to the United States. But the style is also known in both England and Portugal. The Fitzhugh pattern occurs primarily in underglaze cobalt blue, but other colors include green, rouge-de-fer orange (iron red), and sepia. Of all the colors green was extremely variable and difficult to control, so that the product appears in a wide range of tonality and with varying degrees of blurring or running. This is one of the better examples of design registration.
