Plate, 9.75 inches diameter. Blue transfer. Impressed maker's mark for Josiah Wedgwood. This is an example of one of the firms Botanical series patterns. The Botanical patterns were amongst the earliest to be used by Wedgwood for underglaze blue printing. First produced in 1808-09, the patterns were based on illustrations from various contemporary botanical magazines, including the 'Botanist's Repository,' 'Paradisus Londinensis,' and the 'Botanical Magazine.' They were used to decorate a variety of wares, including dinner wares, tea wares and toilet wares, with one or more flowers used on each piece depending on its size and shape. Earlier issues of these prints sometimes have small numbers by the base of the flower stem, probably identification marks, the highest number being 47. The patterns were very popular and were reissued several times during the 19th century, with a variety of borders. The earliest border accompanying these patterns was probably the figure-8 pattern, but the most commonly found border is another early one consisting of interlocking rings. Other borders, dating from the 1820s, include the Blue Convolvulus, the Blue Rose (also used with landscape scenes) and the Flower Basket borders. Sometimes there was no border at all or just a painted rim.
This particular pattern displays Silene, also known as Catchfly or Campion. These sticky-stemmed plants have a display of tubular flowers that range from bud to fully open. Stem leaves are in pairs below these lovely flowers. Surrounding the center image is Convolvulus, also known as morning glory, intertwined with a rope.
Josiah Wedgwood was born in Burslem, Staffordshire, on July 12, 1730, into a family with a long tradition as potters. At the age of nine, after the death of his father, he worked in his family's pottery. In 1759 he set up his own pottery works in Burslem. There he produced a highly durable cream-colored earthenware that so pleased Queen Charlotte that in 1762 she appointed him royal supplier of dinnerware. From the public sale of Queen's Ware, as it came to be known, Wedgwood was able, in 1768, to build near Stoke-on-Trent a village, which he named Etruria, and a second factory equipped with tools and ovens of his own design. At first only ornamental pottery was made in Etruria, but by 1773 Wedgwood had concentrated all his production facilities there. During his long career Wedgwood developed revolutionary ceramic materials, notably basalt and jasperware. After Wedgwood's death in Etruria on January 3, 1795, his descendants carried on the business, which still produces many of his designs.
