Victorian
Circa 1860–1900 | England
A rare antique Victorian carved breadboard or “bread-platter” as it was known in Victorian times. The border is deeply carved and contains the motto “Peace and Plenty” in gothic script, an example that is rarely found today (see The Gen).
The symmetrical half bottom border is intricately carved with wheatsheaves and a stylised ribbon. The breadboard is deeply carved and has a lovely patina, particularly evident in the background of the border and the motto.
DIMENSIONS: Diameter 27.5 cm.
SIGNATURES, MARKINGS & INSCRIPTIONS: Attribution of antique breadboards is difficult as by the mid eighteenth century there are hundreds of carvers. This is most likely a breadboard carved by the Wings as the lettering is Gothic and it has their distinctive ‘bobbly serifs’.
CONDITION: In excellent condition. The breadboard has a lovely patina evident through the untouched colour and wear, light knife marks and lovely golden warm colour.
REFERENCES: For an example of a similar antique breadboard with the “Peace and Plenty” motto see Vintage Breadboards, Madeleine Neave, Prospect Books, 2019, p. 156.
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THE GEN
From 1815, with the introduction of the Corn Laws, until 1846 the wealthy could afford to flaunt their access to bread so much so that it became almost a status symbol. However, everything was to change following the repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846. From that point makers such as William Wing of Sheffield, and later his son George, made bread-platters more accessible and by mid century there was an optimism that is evident in the motto carved on this board, it became a time of Peace and Plenty.
“Punch’s cartoon of 1850, ‘The Free-Trader’s Valentine’ contains a poem with the phrase ‘Peace and Plenty’. This pithy motto is a simple yet profound celebration of what humanity needs to flourish, and what seems out of our grasp so often throughout history. The board may have been a triumphant ‘Hurrah’ to the end of the Napoleonic Wars and the Corn Laws. It also resonates with Psalms 147:14 ‘He grants peace to your borders and satisfies you with the finest wheat.’ The agricultural elite had feared its own pauperisation, but in an interview with a farmer, the tone was more optimistic: ‘We shall turn our land and our brains to better account’, ending their torpor under the Reign of Protection.” (Vintage Breadboards, Madeleine Neave, Prospect Books, 2019, pp 155-156)
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