Dish — Flower, Joseph — ca. 1740

Dish of tin-glazed earthenware, painted. An elaborate scene showing the bombardment of Chagre in blue. The pigment appears watery and blotchy. Various parts of the design have letters from A to G, River Chagre repeated three times, the Road to Porto Bello and the Road to Panama. At the top is a scroll inscribed: The taking of CHAGRE in the West Indies by Admiral VERNON. 1740. A. the Town of Chagre. B. Castle. C. the Custom House in Flames. DD. 2 Spanish sloops sinking. EEE. Goods from ye Custom House. FF. Bomb Ketches. G. flag of Truce hung out by Span.... The end of the inscription is indecipherable. The back has four leafy branches on the well in blue. Body colour: Buff. Glaze: Bluish white pooling and dribbling on the underside with a few pin-holes. A prominent scar between base and wall suggests the dish was fired on long supports. There are no signs of pegs near or at the rim. Shape: Shape I with deeper well and more upturned flange. (Alphabetic shape codes as used in appendix to Archer. <font -u>Delftware</font>. 1997)