Set off center on a simple coupe shape plate of white bone china, Minton artists present a still life of  Japanese objects, two vases on a bamboo stand, the larger of which holds an unruly spray of blossoms. The stand, smaller vase, and flowers are painted in bright, but flat enamels. More extraordinary, however, is the large aubergine and blue vase, executed in thick enamels that stand out from the surface of the plate and strongly suggest the rounded form of the vessel. These heavy enamels recall those employed in Minton's cloisonne inspired decoration.

The central vase deserves even closer attention. note how the blue ovoid fruit of the vase's decoration subtly echoes the form of the vase itself. The artist then adds a genius touch of verisimilitude--patches of white reflected light that define the vase's curve and even reveal the panes of the window that is the source of the reflected light.

A simple band of edge gilding is all that is needed to finish the composition.

Given that the import of goods from newly-open-for-trade Japan was the chief vehicle for the spread of the Japanese aesthetic in Europe, it is no surprise to find this example of an imported object itself as a decorative subject. In fact, some of the earliest Japanist works by Europeans were etched documentation of imported objects. The addition of  sprawling floral sprigs transforms documentation into still life.

Examples from this series illustrated in Joan Jones. Minton: The First Two Hundred Years of Design and Production (pp.65-6) identify our painters as Edmond Reuter for the vase and stand and Richard Pilsbury for the florals. Should there be doubt of the connection, two of Jones's examples show the same clever depiction of reflected light as on the surface of the vase in our example--surely a personal touch by Mr. Reuter.