"Lieben und Geliebt zu werden Ist die Gröst Freud auf Erden” is the Pennsylvania German of "To love and be loved is the greatest joy on earth".  This one-of-kind plate was handmade in a mid-1700s stone house.

Signed and dated July 27, 2024,  "sunny today"
10 1/4" diameter, 1 1/4" deep. Gift boxed.  
 
The clay was rolled flat with a rolling pin, and cut with a circle cutter. Then the clay was laid over a bisque mold (drape molded) until leather-hard (stiff but not dry). White liquid clay (slip) was painted over the surface of the red earthenware clay to create 2 layers. The design was created using the sgraffito method of scratching through the white slip to reveal the red clay beneath. It was fired in an electric kiln. The back is unglazed following the traditions of the early Pennsylvania German potters.