The Piece

A beautifully aged early 20th-century semi-porcelain dish, produced by the E.P. Co. in Sebring, Ohio between 1915 and 1925. Its gently faceted octagonal shape, soft ivory glaze, and ornate dual cartouche motifs make it a perfect example of American decorative tableware at the dawn of the Art Deco era. At first glance it reads as a delicate serving piece—light, refined, almost ceremonial—but its surface tells a deeper story: a full map of authentic century-old crazing, warm oxidation, and hand-applied gilding worn down by time and touch.

The floral medallions—pink roses framed in black scrollwork around tiny shield emblems—anchor the piece with symmetry and elegance. A thin rust-red oval encircles the center, subtle but intentional. It feels like something lifted from a 1920s sideboard: Sunday dinners, lace doilies, quiet parlors, and the soft clink of china in an early American home.

Design & Construction

→ Form & Style

The dish features a gently raised octagonal profile, a transitional form popular from 1900–1930 as American ceramics slowly shifted from Victorian flourishes to the geometric restraint that would define the Deco period.
The decoration blends two stylistic languages:

• Edwardian floral romanticism, and

• early Deco symmetry and framing.

The result is a piece that is ornamental but not loud, structured but still soft.

→ Materials

• Early semi-porcelain / ironstone body

• Hand-trimmed gold edges

• Two printed floral cartouches with shield medallions

• Rust-red center ring

• Ivory glaze with full, naturally developed crazing

• Stamped backmark: E.P. CO., SEBRING, O., D22 (1915–1925)

The weight is substantial for its size—solid, sturdy, and unmistakably antique.

→ Functionality

Originally intended as a small underplate or serving dish, today it serves beautifully as:

• a jewelry or bedside catchall

• a vanity tray for perfume

• a decorative styling plate

• a display for antiques or crystals

• a wall-hung accent in a kitchen or dining room

Its patina gives it sculptural presence even when empty.

History & Provenance

The E.P. Co. (East Palestine China Company) produced semi-porcelain and decorated ware in Sebring, Ohio—one of America’s major pottery hubs—from the late 1800s through the 1930s. During 1915–1925, the company specialized in ornate decal-decorated pieces with gold trim, often sold through general stores, mail-order catalogs, and early department stores.

This dish’s backstamp and pattern place it firmly in that golden era.
The heavy crazing is not damage—it’s slow, natural moisture expansion over a century, prized by collectors for the ghostly texture it adds.

Surviving pieces in this condition represent a tangible fragment of early American domestic culture.

Condition

Beautifully preserved with:

• extensive but stable natural crazing

• worn gold trim consistent with age

• clean floral decals with excellent color

• no structural cracks

• light surface discoloration typical of antique ironstone

The patina is entirely authentic and contributes to the piece’s romantic, timeworn charm.

Product Details

Why It Belongs in Your Home

This dish carries the soft romance of early American ceramics—floral, feminine, a little formal, but warm with age. Its crazing, gilding, and symmetrical medallions make it a stunning styling object for moody interiors, vanities, or dark, textural spaces. It looks equally beautiful holding jewelry, perfume, or nothing at all.

It is a quiet artifact of domestic history, and it brings that sense of story into any room.