Hand Painted Plates

Are Hand Painted Plates Food Safe?

Ours are. Every Balian plate is finished with lead-free, cadmium-free European glazes and fired above 1,000°C (1,832°F), which vitrifies the surface and seals the decoration beneath a glassy layer. That means our hand painted plates can be used for serving and eating from, and they are dishwasher-safe on a normal cycle. We do ask that you keep them out of the microwave and avoid sudden temperature changes, such as moving a plate straight from the refrigerator into a hot oven.

Be more cautious with unmarked vintage plates and with pieces decorated using cold paint or overglaze enamels, which sit on top of the glaze rather than under it. If a plate carries no food-safe marking and you cannot identify the maker, treat it as decorative only.

Are Hand Painted Plates Worth Anything?

Value comes down to four things: who painted it, whether the work is genuinely freehand, condition, and rarity. A signed, documented plate from a recognized studio holds its value far better than a mass-produced piece carrying a printed pattern. Studio provenance matters most, because a plate that can be traced to a named artist and a working workshop is a collectible object rather than simply tableware.

Balian plates are painted by hand in a studio that has operated continuously in Jerusalem since 1922, and many of our designs originate with the late Marie Balian, whose work is held in museum collections. Because each plate is painted individually, no two are ever identical, which is precisely what collectors look for.

How to Tell If a Plate Is Genuinely Hand Painted

Hold the plate at an angle to the light and look for slight relief where pigment has been laid on by brush. Hand painting has texture; a transfer or decal is perfectly flat. Look for brushstroke direction, small variations in line weight, and places where color has pooled a little at the edge of a motif. Then compare two plates of the same pattern: on genuine hand painted plates the motifs will never align perfectly.

There are other tells. A decal often shows a fine dot matrix under a loupe, and its outline may end abruptly at a visible seam. Turn the plate over, too, since studio pieces are frequently signed or numbered and carry a painted rather than printed mark. On our plates you will find the Balian mark applied by hand.

Choosing a Size: 8.66 Inch (22 cm), 11.42 Inch (29 cm) and 15.75 Inch (40 cm)

Our 22 cm / 8.66 inch plates ($50) work as side, salad and dessert plates, and are the easiest size to group in threes or fives on a wall. The 29 cm / 11.42 inch plates ($150) are our most popular size in the United States, large enough to serve as a dinner or presentation plate and substantial enough to hang on their own. The 40 cm / 15.75 inch plates ($400) are statement pieces, used as chargers, centerpieces, or the anchor of a plate wall. Our decorative bowls come in 33 cm (13 inch) and 36 cm (14.17 inch) diameters and pair with any of the plate patterns.

Hand Painted Plate Prices

All prices below are per plate in US dollars and apply to every pattern in the collection. Shipping to the United States is quoted separately before you order.

Prices exclude shipping to the United States and any duties, which we confirm in writing before an order is placed. Custom and commissioned hand painted plates are quoted individually.

Styling and Displaying Hand Painted Plates

A plate wall reads best when you vary the diameter but keep the palette tight: pick two or three colors that repeat across the group, and lay the arrangement out on the floor before you drill. For a kitchen or hallway, a vertical column of three 22 cm plates suits a narrow wall, while a single 40 cm plate above a console or fireplace does the work of a framed picture. On the table, use a 40 cm plate as a charger beneath a plain dinner plate, or run a row of 29 cm plates down the center of a long table as an alternative to a runner.

Hand painted plates also sit beautifully against plain, textured backgrounds such as limewashed walls, bare plaster, deep green or dark blue, which let the pattern carry the room.

Caring for Your Hand Painted Plates

Our plates are dishwasher-safe, but hand washing with a soft cloth and a mild detergent will keep the glaze bright for longest. Avoid abrasive pads and scouring powders, never use the microwave, and let a plate come to room temperature before washing. When stacking, place a felt pad or a sheet of soft paper between plates to protect the glaze. For wall display, use a coated wire hanger or an adhesive disc hanger rather than an uncoated spring clip, which can chip the rim.

Shipping Hand Painted Plates to the United States

We ship door-to-door to all 50 US states, and we price and quote in US dollars. Each plate is individually wrapped and packed in a double-walled carton, and breakage in transit is rare. If a piece does arrive damaged, send us a photograph and we will replace it. Delivery to the United States normally takes around one to two weeks from dispatch, and we confirm current lead times, duties and shipping costs with you in writing before you commit to an order. Commissioned pieces need longer, since each one is painted to order in the studio.

Custom and Commissioned Hand Painted Plates

Any of our patterns can be repainted in a different color palette, and we regularly take commissions for commemorative plates, wedding and anniversary pieces, monograms, house names and designs drawn from a customer's own reference. Trade and wholesale inquiries from interior designers, galleries and hospitality clients are welcome. Tell us the size, the quantity and the idea, and we will come back to you with a sketch and a quotation.

Four Generations in Jerusalem Since 1922

The Balian family came to Jerusalem in 1919 among a group of Armenian ceramicists invited to restore the tiles of the Dome of the Rock, and founded the studio in 1922. Four generations later we still form, glaze and paint in the same workshop. Our museum room holds work by Marie Balian and by earlier generations of the family, and visitors are welcome. Everything we sell is made in that workshop; we do not outsource the painting or import ready-made blanks.

Frequently Asked Questions About Hand Painted Plates

How much do hand painted plates cost?

Our hand painted plates are $50 for the 22 cm (8.66 inch) size, $150 for the 29 cm (11.42 inch) size and $400 for the 40 cm (15.75 inch) size. Prices are per plate in US dollars and exclude shipping to the United States, which we quote before you order.

Can you eat off hand painted plates?

You can eat off ours. They are glazed with lead-free European glazes and fired above 1,000°C (1,832°F), so the decoration sits beneath a sealed, food-safe surface. Unmarked vintage plates and pieces painted with cold or overglaze enamel should be treated as decorative only.

Are hand painted plates dishwasher safe?

Balian plates are dishwasher-safe. Hand washing will preserve the glaze longest, and no hand painted plate should ever go in the microwave.

What kind of paint is used on hand painted plates?

Ours are painted with ceramic pigments and metal oxides applied to the bisque-fired body, then covered with a clear lead-free glaze and fired again, so the color is permanently fused into the surface. This is quite different from craft or enamel paints applied over an existing glaze, which are not durable in the same way.

How can I tell if my plate is hand painted or printed?

Look for brush texture and slight relief in the pigment, uneven line weight, and differences between two plates of the same pattern. Printed decoration is flat and identical every time, and often shows a dot pattern under magnification.

Do you ship hand painted plates to the USA?

Yes, door-to-door to all 50 US states, individually wrapped and double-boxed. Contact us for current delivery times and shipping costs.

Can I order a custom hand painted plate?

Yes. We repaint existing patterns in new colors and take commissions for commemorative, monogrammed and bespoke designs, as well as wholesale orders.