The Piece

A crisply glazed white Staffordshire collector plate featuring an embossed baroque rim and a rich, sepia-toned reproduction of Rembrandt’s The Prodigal Son in the Tavern—here titled “The Lost Son.”

In the center, Rembrandt and his wife Saskia appear as the prodigal son and his companion: he raises a glass toward the viewer, wrapped in a feathered hat and striped sleeve, while she leans in beside him. The image is a transfer print of Rembrandt’s 1630s painting Rembrandt and Saskia in the Scene of the Prodigal Son in the Tavern, now in the Gemäldegalerie in Dresden, Germany.

Around this dark, glowing scene, the plate’s wide rim is molded with scrolling acanthus, florals, and beadwork—crisp white relief that frames the image like plasterwork in a small, portable salon.

The backstamp reads:

“The Lost Son
REMBRANDT 1606–1669
Produced in Staffordshire England
WOOD & SONS
Potters for 200 years”

marking it as part of Wood & Sons’ mid-20th-century art series.

Design & Construction

→ Form & Style

• Diameter: approx. 10" (25.5 cm)

• Deep central well with glossy, full-color transfer print

• Wide, scalloped rim with raised rococo scrollwork and floral motifs

• Clean white glaze that sets off the dark, golden-brown Rembrandt image

• Designed as a cabinet / wall plate, equally at home on a stand or in a plate hanger

The contrast between the restrained white rim and the dramatic baroque painting gives the plate a strong, gallery-like presence for its size.

→ Materials

• Fine English earthenware / porcelain (typical Wood & Sons body)

• Under-glaze or on-glaze transfer print of Rembrandt’s painting

• Clear overglaze for protection and gloss

• Factory backstamp in dark brown

Wood & Sons of Burslem, Staffordshire, operated from the mid-19th century into the late 20th century and frequently used high-quality transfer printing on tablewares and art plates

History & Provenance

Wood & Sons was a long-running Staffordshire pottery, part of the larger Wood family dynasty whose roots in the region stretch back over two centuries.

The phrase “Potters for 200 years” appears on Wood & Sons marks starting around the 1950s, referencing the broader Wood family heritage rather than the single firm.This places your plate in the mid-20th century, c. 1950s–60s, when Staffordshire potteries produced art plates celebrating Old Master paintings for the post-war home.

The central image is after Rembrandt’s work usually titled “The Prodigal Son in the Tavern” or “Rembrandt and Saskia in the Scene of the Prodigal Son in the Tavern,” painted around 1635 and held in Dresden’s Gemäldegalerie.Wikipedia+1 The biblical parable of the lost son (Luke 15) was a favorite theme of Rembrandt’s, and this self-portrait with Saskia as a tavern revel depicts the reckless, indulgent phase of the story before repentance and return.

Wood & Sons issued several Rembrandt plates (e.g., The Night Watch) in the same format, making this part of a small, collectible series.WGA+1

Condition

From your photos, the plate presents in excellent vintage condition:

• No visible chips, cracks, or hairlines

• Glaze retains strong gloss; minor utensil or surface marks only on very close inspection

• Transfer image remains clear and richly colored

• Backstamp crisp and fully legible

Display-ready on a stand or hanger.

Product Details

• Item: “The Lost Son” Rembrandt Collector Plate

• Maker: Wood & Sons, Burslem, Staffordshire, England

• Date: c. 1950s–1960s (based on “Potters for 200 years” mark)WGA+1

• Material: Glazed ceramic (earthenware/porcelain)

• Diameter: approx. 10" (25.5 cm)

• Decoration: Raised white rococo rim; brown/gold transfer print after Rembrandt

• Use: Wall or cabinet display (not recommended for food use)

Why It Belongs in Your Home

This plate is a portable Old Master: all the drama of Rembrandt’s chiaroscuro compressed into a small circle of light and shadow. The white embossed rim keeps it from feeling heavy; the center image brings a moody, story-rich note to a wall of art, a plate rail, or a styled bookshelf.

It works especially well in:

• Dark, layered interiors where white relief pops against inky walls

• Gallery walls that mix paintings, frames, and sculptural objects

• Dining rooms or bars that nod to Old World taverns and still-life scenes

It’s the kind of object that reads as both art history and decor—recognizably Rembrandt, but approachable and easy to live with.