J & C Plate

Q: The only images of plates by “J & C” that I can find are flowers or animals. I have never seen anything like this portrait of a lady. Her jewels are made of individual paint dots and the crown may indicate that she is royalty. Can you shed any light on this plate?

A: Your plate was made by Jaeger & Co., which was founded in 1872 in Marktredwitz, Bavaria, Germany. The company decorated china made by other companies but soon began producing tableware and giftware of its own. The mark on your plate was registered in 1898. The name “Dayton” appears on plates with floral decorations, too, so it is probably the name of the line or shape, not a pattern name. Jaeger & Co. made both decorated and undecorated ware for several companies in the United States before World War II. The company was sold to a firm in Italy in 1979 and closed in 1986.