how to hang cabinet plates on wall?

Wire plate hangers with sprung hooks are the traditional method for mounting these. Ensure the wire hooks have plastic protective sleeves where they grip the rim to prevent them scratching the gilding. You can find them in various sizes to match the diameter of the dish. Alternatively, adhesive plate discs stick directly to the glazed back. They require wetting to activate the glue and hold firmly to the wall. You can soak them off safely with warm water when you want to remove them.

My grandmother gave me a painted plate with a pierced edge and I was wondering if it is safe to wash it in the sink with normal washing up liquid or if that will damage the gold?

Hand washing is safe for most of them, but you should avoid standard washing up liquid. Strong detergents can slowly degrade over-glaze enamels and wear down raised paste gilding. Use lukewarm water with a mild, neutral soap. Wash the plate gently using a soft cloth rather than a sponge or brush, and dry it immediately with a microfibre towel. Never leave them soaking in the basin.

what does cabinet plate mean?

It refers to a plate created specifically for display in a glazed cabinet rather than for serving food. Factories made them as ornamental art objects to demonstrate their painting and gilding techniques. They usually have heavily decorated centres that would quickly scratch if subjected to cutlery.

I have seen some Victorian plates that have tiny holes in the back rim running through the ceramic and I am curious what these were originally intended for when the plate was manufactured?

Those are firing holes. The factory pierced them through the foot rim before the plate went into the kiln. They allowed the workers to suspend the plate on wires during the firing process. This prevented the wet glaze on the underside from sticking to the kiln shelves.

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Antique Cabinet Plates

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Antique cabinet plates are heavily decorated porcelain or bone china dishes produced exclusively for display rather than dining, often featuring hand-painted central reserves and rich gilding.