Collected Stack of
Early Wooden Plates

New England, ca. 18th to early 19th century.

A visually compelling selection of five early wooden plates (four plates and one trencher), each with strong individual surfaces, forms, and character, collectively offering an intriguing sculptural-like presence.

The smallest, and likely the earliest, measures just 5 inches, shrunken well out of round and scarce in retaining its original dry red paint (with paint loss-or-remnants of an old paper label-hard to tell). The largest, a trencher, about 9 inches across with a half inch of shrinkage across the grain, anchors the group (it retains a partial paper label with family name information that may be researchable).

While each piece has merit, the carefully selected stack enhances their impact—an evocative grouping that would display beautifully on a candlestand, side table, or in a collection of early treen.