Antique Asiatic Pheasant Soup Plate, Wedgwood & Co.

This is an antique English soup plate in the Asiatic Pheasant pattern, printed in soft grey. Wedgwood and Company at Tunstall called themselves the original makers of this design, and they printed exactly that claim on the back to set themselves apart from the many Staffordshire potteries copying it. The exotic bird sweeping through peonies and wild roses is the detail people remember.

[d]Dimensions | 10.75 in. Dia x 1.75 in. H

[d]Surface | Original glazed surface, light wear consistent with age

[d]Primary Material | White earthenware

[d]Period | Antique

[d]Date | Circa 1870 to 1890

[d]Origin | United Kingdom

[d]Style or Movement | Victorian transferware

[d]Also Known As | soup plate, rimmed bowl

[d]Maker, Mark, or Attribution | Wedgwood & Co., Tunstall, Staffordshire, assessed from the printed and impressed marks

[d]Marks | Printed grey cartouche to the underside reading "The Original Manufacturers of Asiatic Pheasants, Wedgwood & Co." Impressed "Wedgwood & Co." below. Printed "16" to the side

[d]Construction or Technique | Underglaze transfer print on earthenware, glazed

[condition]

This plate is in good antique condition. The transfer print is strong and complete across the well and the rim, with the grey color still crisp. There is light overall wear consistent with age and table use, and a scatter of small grey and brown firing specks in the glaze, which is normal for earthenware of this period and not damage. A few faint blue flecks sit near the rim on the reverse, from the making. I see no crazing. Please have Sami confirm there are no chips or hairlines to the rim before this goes live.

This piece is not from Josiah Wedgwood and Sons. Wedgwood and Company was a separate Staffordshire firm, and the two are often confused, so the mark is worth reading closely.

Please review all photographs closely, as they form part of this description.