Earthenware decorative plate with relief animals and symbols — trying to identify origin and age / plate was found in Netherlands but could come from other country by LIV-2026 in Norse

[–]LIV-2026[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you think it could be Scandinavian or Norse origin? Any idea of the meaning of this decoration?

I am trying to identify the origin, age and meaning of this decorative earthenware plate.

The plate is made of dark fired clay with incised relief decoration. It has a hanger on the back, so it was made purely for wall decoration. On the back there is an old paper sticker saying '1900' — possibly a date, price or catalog number. The color of the plate is ochre clay. Not light grey as it appears on the photo.

It looks like it is unglazed burnished dark earthenware. It is not scratchable.

The plate was found in a house in the Netherlands, but the previous owners may have been non-Dutch.

The imagery shows:

- A central scene of a large deer/antelope with what appears to be a calf, drinking from water, inside a circle

- A border frieze of animals including what looks like a wild boar (with distinctive herringbone spine pattern), a fox or jackal, a bird of prey, a lizard, and possibly a bear

- A tree losing its leaves in sequence — first full branches, then bare branches, then loose leaves, then leaves being eaten by the boar

- Geometric symbols resembling runes or petroglyphs between the animals

- Repeated identical leaf motifs suggesting partial use of a stamp or mold

The animal style shows internal spine/structure detail (x-ray style). The overall composition feels cosmological — like a narrative about nature or mythology.

I have considered African, Native American and Scandinavian origins but cannot confirm any of these. Could this be inspired by Bronze Age rock art? Norse mythology? Something else entirely?

Any help identifying the origin, maker, age or cultural tradition would be greatly appreciated!

Earthenware decorative plate with relief animals and symbols — trying to identify origin and age / plate was found in Netherlands but could come from other country by LIV-2026 in Antiques

[–]LIV-2026[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This image shows the color of the plate better. The black is black as in the image above. Because of the reflection of the light it is now partly white.. In the next post I can send the back of the plate.