For this relatively scarce Masons Ironstone pattern, oriental models appear to have been copied with considerable precision, resulting in a design more orderly than typical Masons wares. The well of the plate features an intricate vine and foliage pattern in red, overlaid with a heavier vine in cobalt and prominent blossoms, all highlighted in gilt. Two concentric borders surround the center: a thin crosshatch pattern with charming floral reserves and a rather more vigorous and abstract outer ring of leaves and fruit.

Typical of the Masons "Japan" patterns, the cobalt shapes are applied before the glaze firing: enamel brushstrokes, in this example quite fine, complete the design scheme. Gilt highlights are used to transform the cobalt areas into leaves, stems and blossoms. The whiteness of the stone china blank provides a crisp contrast; the scallops and gentle pleating of the flange add another level of interest.

Rather than the raucous energy shouted out by many Masons designs, this plate speaks of a a more refined intricacy.

There is a sense of discipline about this pattern which sets it apart from most "Japan" patterns. The motif of the wandering vine appears on many of these patterns, but here the artist's touch is more bridled, expressing itself in finer details: the complex vine and leaf device of the center, the whimsical cross hatching of the inner border, or the unusually finessed treatment of the cobalt shapes. Perhaps the best examples are the delicate irises of the inner border, formed by just a few strokes of the decorator's brush.

Perhaps the demands made by the pattern on the skills of the decorator explain why this early pattern is a scarce one which does not appear to have made the transition into later production periods.