Dessert plate from a dinner service

The dessert plate is round and flat, adorned with Art Nouveau-style painted decoration featuring stylised poppies. The leaves, stems, and flower outlines are dark green and applied using a stencil, while the flower petals are hand-painted with a burgundy-red paint. The well of the plate is decorated with a stylised bouquet of poppies. The central flower, viewed from above, along with its stem, forms the axis of the composition, symmetrically flanked by six other flowers on thin, S-curved stems with leaves. At the base of the bouquet, three leaves complete the design: two long leaves extending outward and a short central one on the axis. The plate's lip is framed by two brown borders—an upper, wider one, and a lower, narrower one—between which runs a continuous poppy ornament. The pattern module consists of a large cup-shaped flower surrounded by two leaves and two developing buds on long, curved stems that intertwine in pairs. On the underside of the plate, there is the manufacturer’s signature: an anchor within an oval with the inscription S. B. and S/ENGLAND underneath, and above it, the signature of the store: SOUTH AUDLEY S/ T. GOODE & Co/ LONDON. W. Additionally, the mark of the floral design painter is present.

Joanna Kluz