Pinder Bourne is well known for its series of table/display wares featuring freely painted naturalistic floral studies juxtaposed against various flat gilded shapes.

Here the focus of the decoration is a full-blown rose blossom with buds and foliage extending across the full diameter of the plate. While the central bloom is white with touches of fiery red and orange at the center, the artist has created a sense of dimension with shadows depicted in touches of pale green and brown. Multiple shades of green create the lush foliage which extends across the plate. Distinct dark outlines define the forms and give the painting a modern graphic quality. 

This floral study is artistically placed on top of a rich reddish brown disk enhanced with thin, translucent gilding which gives both depth and the impression of an exotic metal surface. The remaining ivory ground of the plate is set off with bands of striping around the disk and a neat gilded edge trim.

Europeans were fascinated by the effects achieved by Japanese metal workers after Japanese bronzes were introduced at the 1862 London exposition. It seems to us that Pinder Bourne is attempting to emulate such metal surfaces with this unique glaze/gilding treatment. The same technique can be found in pieces bearing the mark of Doulton which acquired Pinder Bourne in 1878, retaining the former name until 1882.

Continuing the Pinder Bourne/Doulton connection, this combination of free brushwork with bold outlines can also be observed in Doulton Faience pieces and--crossing the Atlantic--in the New York pieces by John Bennett, who worked at Doulton Lambeth prior to his immigration to America.