Rare Antique Commemorative USS Alligator Schooner Platter C. 1820s Imari For Sale

RARE ANTIQUE ANTI-SLAVERY U.S. NAVY SCHOONER "USS ALLIGATOR" COMMEMORATIVE PORCELAIN PLATE — CIRCA 1821-1835Up for sale is an incredibly scarce piece of early 19th-century American naval and social history: a commemorative porcelain plate honoring the historic anti-slavery schooner, the USS Alligator. Porcelain, transfer-printed in black, enriched with polychrome enamels and gilding. Likely English or European, ca.1821-1835. The reverse plain-glazed and unmarked, with shallow foot-ring and red-painted inventory number “6500 B.” The plate’s cavetto is painted with three asymmetrically arranged floral sprays of peony and rose blossoms in iron red and pink enamels with green foliage and fine black outlining. These are framed by a broad cobalt blue border enriched with an iron red chain motif and burnished gilt detailing, the edge highlighted in gold. At the center is a finely executed circular transfer printed roundel inscribed “ALLIGATOR / SCHOONER,” enclosing a naturalistic profile of an alligator and flanked by star devices. Approx. 10 3/8 x 8 7/8 in.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE:The United States Navy vessel USS Alligator (commissioned March 1821) was one of the early Republic’s purpose-built schooners tasked with enforcing federal authority on distant waters. Small, swift, and shallow-drafted, Alligator was deployed first to the West African coast and later to the West Indies, participating in the nascent United States campaign against the transatlantic slave trade and Caribbean piracy.

Under Lieutenant Robert F. Stockton, the vessel carried Dr. Eli Ayres of the American Colonization Society to West Africa in 1821. Their negotiations at Cape Mesurado proved foundational to the establishment of what would become Liberia. During her brief but active service, Alligator seized slaving vessels and engaged in anti-piracy operations.

The Alligator's career was cut short in November 1822 when she ran aground in Hawk Channel off the Florida Keys, near the reef that would thereafter bear her name, Alligator Reef. The Alligator was ultimately destroyed after unsuccessful attempts to refloat her.

Though in commission for scarcely two years, the schooner’s service intersected with two defining early nineteenth-century American concerns: suppression of the slave trade and assertion of naval power in contested Atlantic waters.DESIGN & ARTISTRY:This shallow, scalloped-edge dish perfectly blends historical commemoration with the highly fashionable Chinoiserie and Imari aesthetics of the Regency era.• Center Roundel: Features a crisp, black transfer-printed circular border reading "ALLIGATOR SCHOONER" flanked by stars, surrounding a detailed profile of an alligator.• Border & Enamels: Decorated with asymmetrical, vibrant floral sprays executed in rich iron-red and pink enamels.• Rim: Features a striking cobalt blue scalloped border accented with geometric orange fretwork and delicate gold gilt highlights.CONDITION REPORT:Excellent antique condition given its 200+ year age. The enamels remain remarkably bright and vibrant. There are no major cracks or structural repairs visible. Minor rubbing to the gilt rim and tiny flea bites on the base consistent with age. Please inspect all high-resolution photos closely.This is a museum-quality centerpiece for collectors of early American militaria, naval history, Black history, or rare 19th-century English/European ceramics.