19th C. Staffordshire Transferware Fitzhugh Plate

Blue and white Staffordshire Transferware Fitzhugh Plate c. 1800 – 1830.
 
 
Dimensions: Approximately 9½”
 

The rim is decorated with a trellis diaper border with spearheads alternating with dumbbells.
 
The center contains a central medallion, itself surrounded by the same border, and four sprays of chrysanthemum and peonies each incorporating a vase or scroll. This is virtually the same as contemporary Chinese porcelain examples from which the Staffordshire transferware pattern was copied.
 
There is no manufacturer’s mark on the plate, but there appears to be an underglaze painted workman’s mark on the back that is similar to such marks on identified Spode wares of the period.
 
A very similar pattern, with a somewhat different center medallion is attributed to Spode in the Transferware Collectors Club data base as pattern #10145 and to John Harrison in the data base as pattern #459.
 
The pattern is also pictured and discussed in Halliday and Zeller, “Chinoiserie – Printed British Ceramics in the Chinese Style 1750-1900”, p. 30, and a Harrison example is illustrated on p. 393.
 
Condition: Firing flaws; otherwise in excellent condition consistent with age and usage.