A plate with worn gilding
The gold is worn in one arc — a trace not of washing but of use.
The gilding is worn in an arc on the lower right of the rim. Had it come from washing, the wear would run evenly around the whole circle.
Doroshenko says the arc matches the movement of a knife: the plate was used, and used by someone right-handed. It is the only piece in the case she displays with the worn side facing the viewer.
