Featured Upgrading My Majolica - Help with Dates

I came across these two Majolica plates. I bought them so I could upgrade my Majolica collection that now consists of two vintage plates. I need your help in figuring out when these are from, please.

One is an early Griffen, Smith & Hill (American Majolica) from what I can gather. This is not a consequential piece, so everybody on the internet is using the earliest date of 1879 in describing it. There is a small plus sign to the left of the mark. Does this mean anything to you? The plate is 9 inches in diameter. It is a hunting dog overlayed with an intense green glaze. The lighter circle in the middle is not lighting but inherent to the original piece.

The second plate unfortunately has a crack in the back, but it is not as visible in the front. I paid $4, so I didn't get hornswoggled. A similar plate has been described as English Majolica from the turn of the century. It is 11 inches in diameter. It is also a pup with his doghouse. There is a lot of crazing, so I am guessing it is an original.

Comments, thoughts, ideas are always very appreciated.

 

Wow. Much better information. Now to search Arsenal Pottery. Thank you very much.

 

It looks like we have a winner!!!!!!!!!!! This site seems very detailed and claims this plate. Yipee. I am very grateful

Glazed and Confused: The Majolica of the Arsenal Pottery (etruscanmajolica.blogspot.com)

 

For me this is a very difficult task. I have been studying the notes about what to look for. They say "
Arsenal Pottery Dog Plate
These have been around for only a few years and are some of the most difficult to detect of all the recent reproductions. The glazing is almost identical to the antique plate both front and back.
How to tell:
The easiest way to detect the reproductions is through the obverse glazing. It is often too precise, particularly the glazing of the green leaves around the perimeter. The modeling of the leaves is thick and clumsy. The ground is also white, opposed to the ivory color on the antique."

I just don't understand how to look. I took some more photos without the artificial lights, and it looks ivory to me:



It's the other details. The glazing looks imprecise but I'm not sure of the molding of the leaves.

 

This site is very helpful with respect to the other plate too. Apparently is it part of the Griffen, Smith & Company Etruscan Pandora Line (see reference link below). It seems they had a great sense of humor and the logo is for "Good Handsome and Strong" The date, 1886, is the earliest for this pattern according to them.

Glazed and Confused: Griffen, Smith and Company's Pandora Pattern (etruscanmajolica.blogspot.com)

@i need help your original link led me to all this, and I am very grateful for your help.

 

To my eye the plate is ivory, the glazing of the leaves is not too precise & the modeling is not clumsy.

 

Maybe the + is just the & in the logo.

 

Thank you for your eyeballs on this. I can barely do glass, and I am out of my depth with ceramics.

 

Interesting idea.

 

Excellent article on repro vs real Majolica.
God help us from these reproductions ! My eyes (& brain) are getting older and the forgers are definitely getting busier-with millions of new 'pickers' it's supply & demand.