Blue Ridge Southern Pottery "Rustic Plaid" Bread Plate (or other side-dish plate) Pattern #4146 "Skyline" Product Line Measures about 6 and 1/4 inches across diameter Brown speckled, green and brown bands, brown ridge (trim) White china with glossy finish Hand-painted, underglaze technique Pre-owned, gently-used vintage item. No visible flaws on the top. The bottom has some imperfections from manufacturing/hand-painting. Since there are multiples, the photos may not be the exact plate received, but all are in very good condition. HISTORY: The Southern Potteries Company became established in the 1920's. but didn't release Blue Ridge, its most popular pottery line until the 1930s. Local women, some as young as fifteen, came down from the Tennessee mountains to be trained as painters. Bold, new patterns emerged evoking the various colorings of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Those bright colors and big designs quickly became the hallmarks of Blue Ridge Pottery patterns. Incredibly, these pieces are beloved today not because of their simple designs or colorful paint-work, but because no two pieces are alike. The talent and creativity of the local women recruited to work at the company and paint folk-art on to their dishes, make every piece unique. The pottery company closed in 1957, yet their deep Tennessee and Appalachian connection makes them not only rare, but historically significant, as both museums and collectors are becoming more serious about adding them to their collections or completing existing sets.