This flashy acanthus shaped dessert dish features one of Mason's so-called "Japan" patterns. These patterns begin with cobalt blue areas that are defined and developed into elaborate patterns by quickly applied brush strokes--here in dark red and blue. This variant is one of the more orderly of these patterns, consisting of a central floral group and three concentric rings of decoration: a band of blue lacework, a garland of blossoms and a narrow border at the edge. The elongated shape and the folds of the molded blank, however, distort the pattern to create the spontaneous energy and slight sense of disorder we admire in Masons wares.

Our dish features a more restrained and refined color palette than often seen in the Japan patterns. Blossoms that typically would be enameled in bright contrasting colors are here picked out in gilding and soft shades of rose. The generous use of gold creates an elegant balance to the exuberance of the acanthus profile.

The use of this acanthus shape blank seems to indicate an early date of production. Both Geoffrey Godden and Gaye Blake Roberts illustrate the form in both Japan style and other patterns, dating as early as the 1813 to 1820 period, but no later than the 1820's [Godden's Guide to Ironstone, Stone & Granite Wares (p. 73); Roberts, Mason's The First Two Hundred Years ( p.69,p.82)].