Topic: Porcelain platter w/blue decorations

[SamCogar]

Hello to everyone ...... and too everyone I have a question.

This platter pictured below I?ve had for several years and have yet to find out anything about it, thus I am asking if anyone can identify it. My guess is that it is English in origin.

It is in perfect condition and quite old as one can see by the ?age cracks? in the picture of the bottom surface. There is a pottery mark, or looks to be a mark, in the center of the bottom but which is absolutely unreadable.
 
The platter is 15 ? inches by 11 ? inches.

Would appreciate knowing the pattern, ?.. maker, ?? date produced, .... etc.

Thanks much, Sam.

[Lustrousstone]

D0esn't strike me as being particularly English. Meat platters seen here tend to be oval. Is the mark impressed or printed? Can we see a close up using your camera macro please

[SamCogar]

Lustrous, the mark is impressed.

I took 3 pictures, out on my covered porch, in natural light.

By angling the camera, the reflected light caused a shadow to appear of what looks like the base of the ?mark? ?.. which the mark itself appears to be ?a tapered/flared vase with a round base?.

See 1st photo, mark is in center, with base of mark extending into the light area and top of mark (darker shadow) pointing to upper left corner. The light area of the photo is the ?blue sky? reflection from underneath the porch roof behind me.   

In 2nd photo, mark is in center, but one can barely make it out.

Hope you can make out what I attempted to define.

Thanks much, Sam

[Lustrousstone]

Hmm, not many clues there. Try sprinkling fine dark powder (coffee, cocoa, eyeshadow) over the mark and then wiping it off carefully so it stays in the impression.

[SamCogar]

There is a slight impression where the "mark" is, which one can easily feel by touch or can see by looking sideways at an angle across the bottom at the reflected light ...... but you can't see it looking directly at it.

And the dark power, etc. won't work because the surface is smooth due to the heavy glazing. But the natural light (Sunlight) penetrates the glazing, and being polarized light, it produces a "shadow" where the highpoints of the impressed mark are.

Now if one had a magnifying lense and a "pin point" polarized light source that they could easily manuever/control, ..... such as a piece of fiber optics, ... then they might be able to identify that mark.

I should invent such a thingy ........ and sell it to all us silly collectors.    

.

[Anne]

Sounds like a plan, Sam. I'd buy one! I seem to have loads of pottery with such indeterminate marks!