1880 Fontaine Aesops Fables ~ The Raven and the Fox 1880

Code: 10188

Rare Porcelain Aesthetic Movement Plate

Brown Westhead and Moore Potteries
Staffordshire England ~ c. 1880

This is a superb and quite scare hand painted plate registered around 1880. The plate measures 9 " in diameter. The plate is finely potted porcelain. The decoration is based on a woodcut from the highly coveted Nature series made by Brown Westhead and Moore, most commonly found on architectural tiles. It is beautifully decorated in rich earthy tones.

The fable:

THE FOX AND THE RAVEN
A story about a fox and a raven which urges us not to trust anyone who is trying to deceive us.
The raven seized a piece of cheese and carried his spoils up to his perch high in a tree. A fox came up and walked in circles around the raven, planning a trick. 'What is this?' cried the fox. 'O raven, the elegant proportions of your body are remarkable, and you have a complexion that is worthy of the king of the birds! If only you had a voice to match, then you would be first among the fowl!' The fox said these things to trick the raven and the raven fell for it: he let out a great squawk and dropped his cheese. By thus showing off his voice, the raven let go of his spoils. The fox then grabbed the cheese and said, 'O raven, you do have a voice, but no brains to go with it!'

Moral: If you follow your enemies' advice, you will get hurt.

The plate is in EXCELLENT condition.  The images are clear and crisp with intricate detail and whimsical styling. The plate was made with great attention to detail.