Of an oversized scale and with foot rim pierced for hanging, this handpainted Minton charger would doubtless set the desired artistic tone in the parlor or studio of some aspiring aesthete. 

The composition, defying spatial relations, emerges from an imagination fascinated with Japanese objects and Japanese style. Crossed screen fans each bear characteristic Eastern scenes: swallows in a bamboo grove, a crane flying over an exaggerated lotus. More purely imaginative is the curious orb that floats above the fans, containing a simple sketch of  plants and butterflies. This central composition is surrounded by a naturalistic wreath of prunus branches depicted with a vigor that seems a bit more European than calmly Asian. Three songbirds and one tempting insect can be found among the blossoms.

Anyone who expects the palettes of Aesthetic Movement goods to be limited to "greenery-yallery" colors will be startled by the color dynamics presented here, A vivid deep blue ground contrasts the pale pastel tones of the central objects. Surrounding natural elements are depicted in tones keyed up a bit from nature--particularly the songbirds that might strike modern eyes as "technicolor." Still harmony prevails and the effect against patterned wallpaper would have been fascinating.

Hanging chargers or plaques of this scale--hand painted with considerable skill and sophistication--are associated with the production of Minton's short-lived but important Art Pottery Studio established in Kensington Gore (London) in 1871. Central to the studio mission was the employment of highly trained artists. The impressed date mark of our example, however, places it one year after an accidental fire ended the Kensington operation. We can take this as an example of the continuing influence of the high artistic standards set by the studio.

See final photo for an indication of scale.