Some unsung Masons decorator has met the challenge of fitting all of the standard elements of  the "Table and Flower Pot" pattern in the deep bowl of this shell form relish: the prominent vase with peonies, the craggy free-form table with bowl of fruit, the nesting duck at the foot of the scene, and of course the mysterious bamboo baton floating behind the vase. The border frames the center tableau with a combination of lotus and chrysanthemum blossoms on a field of Chinese fret patterns.  

We generally associate "Table and Flower Pot" with the multiple hues of green enamel enhancements, however the pattern manages to accommodate a full array of rich colors including pale pink, brilliant orange, yellow, peach, brown and even a touch of gilt, all set off by shots of deep slate blue throughout. 

These little shell shape relish dishes do not turn up frequently in Masons ironstone and, in our experience, occur with early patterns.

 The "Table and Flower Pot" pattern has to be considered one of the standards in Mason's early production.  We have found it with a number of marks and combinations of marks, however the majority date prior to the "angled" crown marks of the 1840's.  

Current scholarship agrees that the impressed marks denote Masons earliest production.   Gay Blake Roberts in Masons, The First Two Hundred Years gives a cutoff date of 1820 for the circular marks --while the straight line marks extend another decade to 1830.  The combination of the printed Crown and Drapery mark with the impressed circular mark--as in this example-- is noted as early as 1815 (based on a reply the Masons made in response to challenges regarding their 1813 patent).