Rare shape Mason's Ironstone Jug Red Scale Conversation Pattern, circa 1820

This is a very rare ironstone vase, in the Chinese style, all hand painted in the coloured dragon pattern, made by the Mason's factory in the early 19th century. Both the vase shape and the pattern are very rare. The vase has a bottle shape with a fairly tall neck, having two dolphin head handles, with attached loops. (NOTES ON SHAPE This vase style is a copy of a much earlier Chinese bronze vase shape produced in the Ming, Hongwu period of 1368 - 1398, which had similar decorative animal head side handles with loops. ( See the book Chinese Ceramics by He Li, page 216, published by Thames & Hudson. ). Also On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 204; The square handles and rings illustrate the metal origins of the shape of the vase. Similar examples have been excavated in Chinese tombs dating to the fifteenth and sixteenth century, suggesting that the shape was particularly popular at that time.) This vase is beautifully hand decorated in a more complex variant of the Coloured Chinese Dragon pattern, with strong coloured enamels depicting a green dragon on one side and a pink dragon...

This is a rare Mason's ironstone miniature Teapot in the bold Fence Japan gilded pattern, which we date to circa 1820. Miniature or toy items of Masons ...

Mason's Ironstone Garniture of Three vases, circa 1835 The three hexagonal-shaped vases are painted with polychrome flowers on a mazarine blue ground. The open-work handles, rim ...

1830-1848 Set of 6 Dinner Plates, Mason's Patent Ironstone, English. Transfer printed crown & banner. An elaborately gilded "Imari" or "Japan" pattern. Undulating molded body. Very g...