How were chargers used historically?

Chargers served as impressive platters for joint meats at grand banquets or sat beneath smaller dishes to elevate them during service. Wealthy households also displayed them on sideboards and walls to signal status and taste. Over time, their primary role shifted from dining table utility to purely decorative display. Large formats made them ideal canvases for detailed narrative scenes, armorials, and floral patterns.

How do I tell Delftware from porcelain?

Delftware uses an earthenware body covered in an opaque white tin glaze that can feel slightly softer and thicker at the edges. Porcelain is harder, more resonant when tapped, and often translucent where the body is thinner. Examining the unglazed foot ring usually reveals the biscuit body beneath. Earthenware is porous and buff-coloured, whereas true porcelain appears fine-grained and white.

Can I use antique chargers for food?

Most antique earthenware and soft-paste porcelain chargers feature porous bodies, historic crazing, and lead-bearing glazes that absorb moisture and oils. These characteristics make them unsuitable for serving wet or greasy foods today. Displaying them dry on walls or tables preserves the fragile glaze and prevents staining. Modern tableware is better suited for regular culinary use.

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White Ceramic Charger

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A white ceramic charger offers a wide, decorative surface that brings seventeenth-century Delftware or Chinese porcelain straight to a modern table or wall.