In this dessert or salad size plate, Burgess & Leigh offer their "Rustic" pattern in b...

In this dessert or salad size plate, Burgess & Leigh offer their "Rustic" pattern in brown transfer on their ivory body. 

The focus of the pattern is an arched portal through which a scene of  the rustic  English countryside unfolds, complete with meandering stream, water mill, and church.  However the portal is viewed from much more stylish, urban surroundings.  An exotic vase with a stalk of foxglove sits on a ledge in front.  Sprays of prunus grow up from behind the ledge, artistically draping the portal, while a lone songbird flies out across  the top of the plate. Sprays of apple blossom (or hawthorn) reach out from behind the ledge onto the flange of the plate, while a ground pattern of fruit provides dense decoration below.  The ledge itself has been cleverly drawn to appear three-dimensional, tucked in on the left behind the flange of the plate  while extending toward the edge on the right. 

As one considers Burgess and Leigh's "Rustic," one can not help but note similarities with...

As one considers Burgess and Leigh's "Rustic," one can not help but note similarities with Wedgwood's "Edinburg," which also features a vase backed by an arch-shaped rural vignette. A quick check of Seekers stock reveals multiple date-marked examples of "Edinburg" ranging from 1877 to 1883 -- significantly prior to "Rustic's" 1886 registry date.