Identification request – late 19th-century shipwreck serving platter
Posted by Dr. Florian Huber on July 16, 2026, 3:57 pm
Hi everyone,
my Name is Florian Huber, Maritime Archaeologist from Germany.
This oval serving platter was recovered today from a documented shipwreck context in the German North Sea. The sailing vessel sank in January 1899, providing a firm terminus ante quem: the platter must have been manufactured no later than 1898. This was most probably grom Great Britain.
It appears to be white earthenware or possibly ironstone, decorated with a red-brown floral transfer print, probably chrysanthemums. The rim is moulded and slightly scalloped. An impressed mark on the reverse appears to read “No. 10”, although this is uncertain.
The third picture was done with chatGPT just for the fun of it. It is not accourate but gave me at least an first impression.
I am looking for information regarding the manufacturer, pattern name, country of origin and approximate production date. The black spots and circular marks are marine accretions and should be disregarded when examining the printed design.
Any directly comparable marked pieces or catalogue references would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you very much!
Sincerely
Florian Huber
Re: Identification request – late 19th-century shipwreck serving platter
Hello Dr. Huber. Thanks very much for the inquiry concerning your 'Chrysanthemum' platter, and for sharing your fascinating story. Even though your ChatGPT image may not be strictly accurate it may be the best method available to see what the pattern originally looked like. Though we have a number of similar floral patterns in our database I don't see any to match this. It would appear to date from the 1880s or 1890s and would probably be considered aesthetic in style. I can't help right now with pattern name or maker but perhaps in time something will turn up.
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