One may well ask, "What is mediaeval about this Japanesque patchwork plate?

We can offer two points of explanation. As in the medieval-inspired work of Owen Jones, A.W.N. Pugin, or Christopher Dresser, the pattern displays a clear geometry--even in shapes derived from organic forms. This trait seems to have been strongly associated with the Middle Ages for the Victorian designer or consumer. Second, in the romanticized Victorian view of Japan, the society of that far off land merged with a nostalgic view of the Middle Ages, each untainted by the problems of urbanization and industrialization.

It would seem that Wedgwood utilized the "Medieval" pattern both for table and decorative ware. The un-enameled brown transfer examples, surely this soup tureen, were intended for food service. We have also seen polychrome demitasse cups and saucers suggesting the production of at least tea and dessert services in colored versions. Some plates, however, are so dramatically embellished with dramatic colors that one supposes they were "rack" plates intended for display on plate rails or sideboards.