This is a charming dessert plate made by Ashworth Brothers between 1862 and 1890. It is made of Real Ironstone China and decorated in a green ground with Chinoiserie reserves.
 
The Ashworth Brothers factory was the continuation of the famous Miles Mason factory. Mason started making porcelain in the 1790s, when porcelain imports from China ceased and there was a need for British-made porcelain. In the early 19th Century he purchased the patent for "ironstone" china from the Turner brothers and in 1813 he launched his "Mason's Patent Ironstone China". This was a china body that strictly speaking was earthenware, but as strong as porcelain and looking more like the porcelain that had been imported from China, than bone china. Ironstone china was cheaper to produce and its blueish hue was excellent for the Chinoiserie decorations that were still popular. The new middle class, sprung up with the Industrial Revolution, could not afford the expensive hand painted bone china table sets yet and they were also quite attached to the Chinese style of decorating. Mason saw the opportunity and started supplying huge amounts of dinner and dessert services to the new industrialists. Soon, all other potters started imitating him by bringing out their own "stone china' bodies, each with a slightly different name.
 
The Mason factory was bought by the Ashworth brothers in 1862 and they continued the ironstone line, but called it "Real Ironstone China" - however essentially it was the same. Their designs were similar although being updated with the Victorian times, and you can see on this plate that they were experts at printing designs and then having them hand coloured - a cheap way to create wonderfully complex and colourful designs.
 
This design is one such wonderful design: on a green ground with gilt weeping willows there are reserves with Chinoiserie scenes: a large garden scene in the centre and small reserves with plum trees and other vegetation and figures with umbrellas. The rim of the plate is faux-gadrooned.
 
The plate is marked with the puce printed and crowned "A.Bros Real Ironstone China" mark that was used between 1862 and 1890, and the pattern number 6964.
 
CONDITION REPORT The plate is in perfect antique condition without any damage, repairs, crazing or significant wear.
 
Antique British porcelain is never perfect. Kilns were fired on coal in the 1800s, and this meant that china from that period can have some firing specks from flying particles. British makers were also known for their experimentation, and sometimes this resulted in technically imperfect results. Due to the shrinkage in the kiln, items can have small firing lines or develop crazing over time, which should not be seen as damage but as an imperfection of the maker's recipes, probably unknown at the time of making. Items have often been used for many years and can have normal signs of wear, and gilt can have signs of slight disintegration even if never handled. I will reflect any damage, repairs, obvious stress marks, crazing or heavy wear in the item description but some minor scratches, nicks, stains and gilt disintegration can be normal for vintage items and need to be taken into account.
 
There is widespread confusion on the internet about the difference between chips and nicks, or hairlines and cracks. I will reflect any damage as truthfully as I can, i.e. a nick is a tiny bit of damage smaller than 1mm and a chip is something you can easily see with the eye; a glazing line is a break in the glazing only; hairline is extremely tight and/or superficial and not picked up by the finger; and a crack is obvious both to the eye and the finger. Etcetera - I try to be as accurate as I can and please feel free to ask questions or request more detailed pictures!
 
DIMENSIONS 13.2cm (9.15") diameter