E. F. Bodley's "Japanese" pattern fills the plate surface with boldly scaled Asian objects...
E. F. Bodley's "Japanese" pattern fills the plate surface with boldly scaled Asian objects and motifs executed in unusual deep red/orange printing and filled out with enameling in similar tones. The result is monochrome compositions of a hue that must have stood out strikingly in the retailer's shops.
Here two screen fans, their handles bound by a fluttering ribbon, are shown against a realistic spray of flowering prunus. Each fan bears its own Japanese style design: birds soaring through clouds over the sketched suggestion of a mountain peak and two peacocks preening on a pine bow. Horizontal lines suggesting clouds distinguish the fan scenes from the blank field of the plate's ivory ground.
As with the entire "Japanese" pattern, images are drawn with a clear distinct line that compliments their assertive scale. A simple orange and gilt line defines the edge without adding the fussiness of a more elaborate border.