made in Glasgow
This 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 'BUAH AND NANAS' and was registered in 1888.
The centre shows three pineapple plants with a flower and a butterfly. The border consists of a diamond trellis pattern with four quatrefoil shapes at equal intervals. In each shape is a pineapple.
Bells started exporting by the 1860s. Their trade with South East Asia was particularly important. After John Bell's death in 1880, the company continued with this trade, producing a remarkable range of specially designed transfer-printed oriental patterns for the area.
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