Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead. Oscar Wilde

{HISTORY}

If there was any one quote that could be uttered so perfectly about this specific platter it would be Oscar's above. Thank goodness there is nothing but love and sunshine in the colorfully handpainted design and the fact that it has been treated with such wonderful care and attention over the past 150 years. 

The story of this serving piece goes all the way back to England in the 19th century. There are actually two famous Cliffs in the English dishware world of history. One is an English artist named Clarice Cliff who designed a bevy of much-adored dishware during the 20th century. The other is a pottery called Cliff that operated in England in the 1800s.

When it comes to this platter and its maker, we are talking about the latter.  Containing a beautiful floral rim and offering a large, accommodating, rectangular size, this charmer is both a worker and an art piece all rolled into one.

There is not much history written these days about Cliff  Pottery, but we do know that they ceased operation in 1904, which dates this serving piece to the 1800s (most likely we would estimate it was made around the 1870s era). 

Part of Cliff's Spring pattern line, it features handpainted florals in bright shades of pink, yellow, green, and teal against earthy brown grasses, flowers, and leaves.  The pink flowers are joyful and jubilant and the color palette is fresh and cheerful. It's no wonder Cliff named this pattern Spring! A gold stripe around the rim adds just a dash of extra sparkle. 

A rare pattern from a now almost obscure and hard-to-find pottery, this platter is a lovely example of the Aesthetic movement which valued, beauty, art, literature, and music  above all else in England during the 1870s and 1880s. 

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

- Stamped on the back with the just legible maker's mark and pattern name

- Colors include raspberry, lavender, teal, spring green, lemon, gold and milk chocolate against a bright white and shiny background

- Large size, heavy weight

- Handpainted

{CONDITION}

In gorgeous antique condition. Contains no chips, cracks or crazing. The colors are bright and the imagery is clear and crisp. There is minor rubbing of the gold strip in places and there are two small scuff marks along one edge (most likely caused by a plate hanger) with just a tad bit of light staining in those areas. 

{SIZE}

Measures 15.5' inches (length) x 12.25" inches (width) and weighs 4.5lbs

 {STYLE IDEA}

Thanks to its dynamic color palette, this platter would look gorgeous serving up a whole kitchen's worth of edible delights from bright green spring salads to wintery roasts to light and airy summer desserts, this one promises to make all your mealtimes look especially enticing year-round!