How were delft chargers used originally?

These large dishes served primarily as decorative wall chargers or sideboard displays in prosperous homes rather than everyday tableware. Their substantial size and hand-painted motifs made them prestige items for showing off wealth and artistic taste to visitors.

How do I hang a heavy charger?

Use professional, coated wire hanger systems designed specifically for heavy earthenware plates to distribute weight evenly. Ensure the wall fixing anchors securely into solid masonry or stud work rather than relying on standard plaster plugs.

What is the difference between delft and faience?

Delft specifically denotes tin-glazed earthenware produced in Dutch workshops, whereas faience is the broader continental term used largely for French and other European wares. Both employ similar tin-glaze and pigment techniques on an earthen body.

How can I tell an eighteenth-century plate from a nineteenth-century one?

Eighteenth-century examples often display looser, more spontaneous hand-painted floral or Chinoiserie brushwork combined with characteristic glaze pooling. Nineteenth-century pieces tend to show greater uniformity in the ceramic body and more rigid application of the cobalt pigment.