My Grandfather worked for many years at the Cronin China factory in Ohio.  He had told me the lines on the plates were a 'Makers Mark' in a way. Each potter placed a certain amount of circles, placed in a specific area on the plate bottom.  This told which potter actually had made the item.  I can still find plates bearing my Grandfathers marks at antique stores, etc. It amazes me to be able to hold an item that had actually passed through his hands.


--- On Thu, 11/18/10, Susan Walter <[log in to unmask]> wrote:


From: Susan Walter <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: lines UNDER plates
To: [log in to unmask]
Date: Thursday, November 18, 2010, 11:03 AM


Nov. 18, 2010

Hi All (Hi Carol!),

A friend and I were discussing ceramics, and she reminded me of something.

Often on the undersides of dishes are concentric lines that were molded into the vessel.  They are usually inside the footring, but also occur outside of them.

For us, they help to match up fragments of different vessels.

But, she was asking, was there any specific original purpose to these?  

S. Walter