CLASSIC BLOCK OPTIC Antique Ironstone Square Covered Dish with Underplate Circa 1890

This classic Block Optic Antique Ironstone SQUARE COVERED DISH with UNDERPLATE, crafted by J & G Meakin of Staffordshire, England circa 1890, is in very good condition. Sought-after set by collectors of ironstone, as it is accompanied by an underplate and a square, rather than oblong dish.

The lid is without blemish and features a ring finial and starburst motif, while the plate is etched with Royal Arms with a lion rampant, Ironstone China, Hanley, England, and the incised number 3. The dish displays minor spots inside on the bottom and a chip about ⅛" by ¼” on the inner rim. The underplate is likewise sound, save for slight discoloration and faint crazing.

Dish measurements are 5 ½” high with the lid, 3 ⅛ high without the lid, 9" across handle to handle, and 7 ⅛" by 7 ⅛" without handles. The lid is 7" x 7" wide and the underplate 10 ½” handle to handle by 8 ¾” wide. 

About Meakin Ironstone: The Meakin brothers, James and George, sons of James Meakin of Hanley, were master potters. In 1851 they opened a pottery firm to produce an inexpensive, plain, and durable "uniform hard white earthenware," called granite. After the end of the American Civil War, James, a shrewd businessman, saw potential in American imports. Within a decade, J & G Meakin had almost cornered the market of ironstone china in the United States. James Meakin passed his expertise on to his sons James and George, as well as sons Alfred, Charles and William. Moreover, James's son-in-law, Robert Johnson, was also a master potter, and it was his sons Henry, Robert, and Fred who established Johnson Brothers.