Soup plate

The plate is circular in shape, with a plain rim pinched at regular intervals. It is complete. The rim is thick and slightly domed. The rim slopes slightly inwards, with a small bulge at its junction with the wall; the wall is curved and the base is slightly domed. On the reverse, the plate rests on an annular foot, free of glaze; the bottom is recessed and flat. There are three pernette marks on the reverse. There are two superimposed marks under the base: one is printed in blue and the other is debossed. The printed mark consists of two elements: a royal crown surmounted by the arched letters MASON’S, and a rectangular banner with the words PATENT IRONSTONE CHINA in two registers. Below the banner, in one register, is MASON’S PATENT IRONSTONE CHINA. There are linear markings on the inner background. The reverse is streaked with rusty-brown veins; the decoration is applied by transfer printing; it is blue in color and features the Blue Pheasants motif. The printed decoration is visible on the marli, on the wall and on the inner background. The decoration on the border consists of two different elements. Near the rim, a narrow band with two lines at the top and three rows of small cells with blue cores; at the base, a wide, dark-blue line ending in a grecque. This band is interrupted by two different motifs repeated in alternation. One motif, closed by two scrolls, features a dark blue background and, in reserve, a half-flower bordered by budding branches. The other is a dark-blue rectangle with two leaves in reserve. It supports a poly-lobed medallion bordered by stylized leaves covered with a scale motif; this medallion is adorned with a flower flanked by two dark-blue, mirrored bud branches. Between these medallions, branches extend. The decoration on the wall, which occupies the upper half of the medallion and extends that of the marli, is composed of various alternating motifs: one features a flower flanked by scrolled branches in dark blue, bordering a background of rows of small spirals; the other features a motif with two scrolls in dark blue, between two branches of stylized acanthus leaves. The background features a plant scene with several different flowers and leafy branches, through which two birds face each other on two different levels. The rendering of the decor is clear.