The predominance of the Japanese style in Aesthetic Movement tablewares often blinds us to the other foreign traditions tapped by designers seeking novel flavors of beauty. Here Wedgwood's pattern name--unlike many titles that seem arbitrary--clues us into the Indian sources of the composition.

Three bands of Indian ornament fill the surface of the plate with overflowing detail. In the center is a wheel device radiating out to incorporate tear drop motifs made familiar to us from "paisley" shawls. Further out are two rings. The innermost features a blossoming vine in black silhouette. The outer band contains alternating floral reserves--each stylized in its own manner--against a checkered ground.

Wedgwood colored this transfer design in different ways. In a most felicitous choice, the black printing is here accented sparingly with restained touches of ochre, red and blue, which in no way distract from the pattern's intricate details.

In addition to a matching pair, we have a third plate with slightly different coloring..  Please inquire.  

This pattern, like many others, has been attributed to Christopher Dresser, which is plausible given Dr. Dresser's seemingly all inclusive interest in international traditions. However, Dresser's work for Wedgwood is not completely documented and we cannot be sure of the claim.

What is certain is that some credit for influence should go to Owen Jones and his 1856 compendium of multi-cultural design, The Grammar of Ornament, a sourcebook for subsequent designers. Writing of his Indian examples, Jones praises the national tradition of perfect scale and placement of ornamental motifs to achieve a unified surface. It would seem that Wedgwood's pattern, whoever its designer may have been, fulfills that tradition quite well.