Popularized in the 19th century alongside expanding industrial ceramics manufacturing, commemorative plates emerged as souvenirs celebrating travel or important events connected to well-known figures. Using the commemorative function of gold trimmed dinnerware, ceramicist Howard Kottler applied commercial decals of the Pope to cheap white dinner plates he purchased in bulk to ridicule the Pope and all he stands for. For Kottler, his plates highlight how adoration is complex and contingent.

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