ARTWORK HISTORY:
Our family is very much into "the Arts" in all it's forms, from music to art to chinaware and even classic old (quality) technology!
Our art collecting focus has always been landscapes, both Australian and New Zealand, and this included not only paintings but special limited releases originally created by well known landscape artists, such as Chris Huber.
This display plate needs a new home, we are now focusing on oil artworks and our display plates must leave the house! Our beautiful set of Wedgwood display plates left home (boo hoo!) but now we have "other" display plates such as this one to find a new owner for, a very lonely orphan plate sitting in the display cabinet.
This plate is not all about being a Limited Edition, it is the artist who created the painting and the maker of the porcelain piece that are much more significant.
BENDIGO POTTERY
Remains Australia's longest working pottery, begun in 1858
Bendigo Pottery released a special set of six display plates over the period of 1990 ~ 1991
All plates featured painted scenes of selected Australian towns, the series was called Heritage Towns, the artist being Chris Huber
This is one of the plates from the series, in fact the first design (Plate 1) depicting Berrima (Southern Highlands, NSW)
Touted as a Limited Edition series, the numbers produced were pretty large and these plates are by no means difficult to find but in 50 years time it could well be a different story!
The plate numbering sequence gives a clue to how many plates that Bendigo Potteries produced.
The first number is the plate number in the series, this Berrima plate begins with "1"
Next character on the rear of the plate is a letter and this appears to be the "run or production identification", this plate is a "B" or the 2nd run and I have seen these go right up to an "F"
The last 3 or 4 numerals indicates the actual production number, so this plate is #432 of how many - probably at least 8000
Well I have seen this production number go right up to near 8000, which means this Limited Edition would have had at least 6x 8000 plates made (A ~ F x 8000) or 48,000 of EACH plate in the series.
CHRIS HUBER:
Chris is a very well known Australian artist who arrived in 1955 and she has become an extremely well recognised landscape artist.
The original artwork for this series of Heritage Towns plates was painted by Chris Huber. Of course the plates do not have the original artwork under the glaze, the plates have been decorated using a transfer technique. No matter how the transfer was made before firing, the artwork quality on the plate is VERY GOOD, like holding a miniature Chris Huber in your hand (at a fraction of the price!)
Ok...I hear you.
You wouldn't normally be walking around with the plate in your hand of course. It suits either a stand support (not supplied) or can may be hung on the wall with picture wire or nylon threaded through the two holes for this purpose at the rear of the plate.
BENDIGO POTTERIES
Display Plate
White porcelain
Series: Heritage Towns
Plate #1: Berrima
Plate ID: 1B-432
Bradex design registration number: 3-821-1.1
Size: 198mm (close to 8 inches) diameter
Suits either stand display (stand not supplied) or wall hanging (two holes in the rear of the plate)
CONDITION:
The plate is clean, high glaze porcelain
NO discolouration
NO cracks
NO chips
NO crazing
Colours are all natural and "true to life"
