Soup plate with Chinoiserie decoration

Deep, faience plate with a slightly cream shade, covered with a grid of decorative glaze cracks, decorated with painting decoration in the Far Eastern type with floral and geometric motifs, concentrated in the lip of the plate. A detailed drawing of the decoration pattern is printed in purple and hand-painted on the enamel with paints in several colours: rusty red, dark blue, green, and sand-beige. Less used colours are light blue, steel green, celadon and yellow. This decoration consists of a strip of geometric ornament with a rhombus motif, running just below the edge of the indentation, then there are four large floral and plant compositions- one of them with the motif of a broken bush, arranged on the lip of the plate close to the strip of ornament. These compositions are separated by leafy semi-rosettes. Gold is found only on the strip that laminates the edge of the lip and on small elements of three flowers in large compositions. The back of the plate is covered with gray spots under the enamel. Visible markings: in the central point the letter "B", factory reference number "BOO THS" – both stamped in mass- and a large seal printed underglaze in burgundy colour: "MANUFACTURED FOR:/A.LA. PAIX,/34.AVENUE DE L'OPERA, /PARIS./IMPORTE D'ANGLETERRE". Under it, there is an inscription with the current inventory number. England, Hanley, nineteenth century.

Dorota Rajchert