In their "Panama" pattern, Wedgwood made a direct appeal to the public's obsession for Jap...

In their "Panama" pattern, Wedgwood made a direct appeal to the public's obsession for Japanese design.  The pattern is a combination of  stylized  fretwork patterns and natural motifs.  All variations of the pattern revolve around a central study of birds perched on exotic flowering branches.  The border  is defined by two parallel bands of fretwork filled with alternating reserves of prunus sprays and blocks of fruit and foliage reminiscent of William Morris wallpaper patterns. 

For their covered tureen, the birds migrate to low arches on each side of the lid.  Complementary floral reserves decorate each end, while a traditional scale device fills the space at each corner.  The border pattern follows the contours of both the tureen body and undertray, centering the fruit and foliage blocks on each side and at the corners. 

This version of the pattern  is executed in a soft brown transfer against Wedgwood's ivory body.  The birds' plumage is defined  with a rust colored wash, while touches of blue and yellow pick out the floral sprays. Wedgwood also uses ochre lustre to highlight the floral reserves on the lid and the border blocks of fruit and foliage. Edges and handles are finished with a stripe of reddish enamel.

Wedgwood's "Panama" exemplifies two distinguishing characteristics of Aesthetic Movement t...

Wedgwood's "Panama" exemplifies two distinguishing characteristics of Aesthetic Movement tableware. First is the patchwork treatment of  panels of flat patterns, laid side by side in what we would now call collage style. (Remember that crazy quilts are another legacy of this period.) Second, exposure to the nature studies of Japanese artists like Hokusai influenced designers to base their depiction of birds, fish and animals on close observation--not on the traditional conventions of how these creatures should look. Our birds perch rather casually on their perch in an entirely natural pose.