According to family tradition, this delft plate was one of a set given to Esther Williams (1691-1751), the oldest daughter of the Reverend John Williams of Deerfield, Massachusetts, when she married the Rev. John Meacham in 1715. Of English origin, as were most of the dishes owned in New England in the 18th century, the plate has no foot ring and was probably made by draping over a wooden form. It is decorated in underglaze blue, with a version of an architectural- or needlework-inspired six-petal rosette.