Brown Westhead, Moore & Co.'s "Pomona" pattern features boughs of fruit: apples, plums, grapes and  berries, presented in a naturalistic way--just the way they grow.

Observing  this deep slate blue luncheon plate, one can sense the weight of ripe strawberries that pulls their delicate stems earthward, and one can imagine the fragrance that has attracted a passing bee.

Plant based decoration that earlier would have been confined to tightly arranged nosegays and garlands, was set free by designers in the late nineteenth century who created naturalistic, often asymmetrical, sprays of fruit, foliage or flowers. This was a lesson learned from the Japanese--one of the more subtle manifestations of the Japan mania that swept over Britain and the continent. A heightened attention to fine printing effects--here conveying the sense of dimension and weight in the fruit and leaves--also contrasts the simpler copper plate engraving of earlier transfer wares.

Seekers currently offers four "Pomona" plates in this size, each with a different fruit study.  

While documentation is scant, it is tempting to see in "Pomona" the design or at least the influence of Pierre Mallet and Leonce Goutard, two masters of  Japanese influenced naturalism. Immigrants from the unrest of France in the early 1870's, they designed for one London retailer and a number of Staffordshire potters including Wedgwood and Minton. Their work for Brown Westhead, Moore & Company was included in the pottery's display at international exhibitions in Philadelphia in 1876 and in Paris in 1878. The seemingly un-arranged composition, the absence of any border ornament, and the occasional inclusion of creatures like snails or insects are all characteristic of their work. Examples of one BWM & Co. pattern commonly attributed to the pair, "Canova," are available on this website.

The "Pomona" pattern is a great example of the shift in the depiction of nature in the late nineteenth century, however, for many of us, our attention starts to wander beyond the art to images of country life --  fond memories of endless days spent in summertime sunshine and all the home-centered cooking and canning of the season -- images of home!