made in Glasgow
This green and red transfer-printed earthenware soup plate was made for export to South East Asia, by the Glasgow potters, J. & M.P. Bell & Co. Ltd. The pattern is called 'MALACCA' after the Malacca Straits in Malaysia.
The centre shows a circular scene of a stretch of water with a rocky headland, a jetty, three boats and a flock of birds. The border pattern consists of twelve 'scallop shells' set against a background of lines and scrolls.
During the second half of the 19th century Bells developed a range of designs specially geared to the Eastern market. One of the design innovations used by them was the two-coloured printed pattern, where the central motif and border were of different colours, as in this example.
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