1975 Redware Glazed Round ~8" Deep Pie Plate Sgraffito Floral Design By Lester Breininger
Description: A beautiful early Lester Breininger glazed and sgraffito decorated redware deep pie plate. The plate has a flat base with flared rounded sides rising to a coggled rim. The plate is decorated with a sgraffito design consisting seven ten-petal flowers surrounding a central twelve-petal flower all in brown coloring over the yellow colored background with green copper oxide colored highlights. This style of decoration is very much in the Pennsylvania Dutch style common in southeastern Pennsylvania specifically in Bucks, Montgomery, Chester, and Lancaster counties. The plate is glazed on the inside but not on the back. The unglazed back has the characteristic color of unglazed redware and is signed by the artist. The plate is signed L+B Breininger indicating that it was made by Lester and his wife Barbara early in Lester's career as a potter before he hired assistants who made most of his later ware. Please carefully view photos as they are part and parcel of our description.
Date: October 7, 1975.
Origin: Robesonia, Pennsylvania.
Size: Measures ~7 7/8" in diameter on top and is ~1 3/4" high. The piece weighs slightly over one pound.
Maker: Lester Breininger.
Marks: Marked "TM; L+B Breininger; Robesonia; incised Keystone having the inscription PA within it surrounded by the date 10/7/1975; Fair fall day" on bottom in print calligraphy.
Distinguishing Characteristics - Most Interesting About The Piece: A beautiful and early piece by a contemporary master potter with the Pennsylvania Dutch heritage. This is an old Breininger piece, made by Lester with the help of his wife Barbara 1975. These of course are not very common and are becoming very desirable. A beautiful redware piece, which deserves a prominent spot in your redware collection.
Condition: Plate is in excellent condition, given it is about 43 years old. It has no cracks, repairs, or hairlines. The plate does have some crazing to the glaze. In addition, the plate has a few of the usual defects you would expect with all these primitive redware pieces such as pops, slubs, unglazed areas and uneven spots. However, this plate has a minimum number of these, which are hardly noticeable and do not interfere with its beauty or quality. Please see photos for additional condition information and to appreciate the beauty of this piece.
