Rare Georgian English Pearlware Reticulated Basket Stand c.1800 to 1830 with Green Rope & Diamond

Rare Late Georgian English Pearlware Reticulated Basket Stand / Serving Platter, c.1800–1830

A beautiful and unusually elaborate piece of early 19th-century English pottery, dating to the Late Georgian / Regency period, circa 1800–1830.

This oval pearlware dish is moulded throughout in remarkably detailed imitation basketry, with the wickerwork radiating outward from a particularly distinctive central medallion.

At the centre is a green-enamelled moulded rope/cord motif surrounding a diagonally positioned diamond or lozenge-shaped lattice, from which the basketweave pattern expands across the body of the dish.

The perimeter is finished with a highly decorative hand-pierced reticulated border, scalloped outer edge and deep green enamel highlighting.

An early English basketware design

This type of ceramic was created to imitate fashionable woven serving baskets and was produced by leading English potteries during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

A particularly interesting museum comparison is held by Historic New England, which catalogues an English pearlware serving dish dated 1800–1830 with moulded basketweave, pierced/scalloped border, centre diamond and cord/rope moulding.

Closely related reticulated basketware was manufactured by important English factories including Leeds Pottery, Wedgwood and Sewell, although this example is unmarked and I am therefore selling it conservatively as English pearlware, maker unknown, rather than making an unsupported factory attribution.

A documented late-18th-century Leeds basket and underplate similarly combines a basketweave underplate, reticulated edge and green trim, illustrating the established English tradition from which this piece originates. Sewell & Donkin were still producing green-enamelled pearlware basket-and-stand forms in the first half of the 19th century.

Details

Date: c.1800–1830
Period: Late Georgian / Regency
Origin: England
Material: Pearlware / lead-glazed earthenware
Form: Reticulated basket stand / serving platter
Width: approx. 27 cm / 10.6 inches
Decoration: Moulded basketweave, pierced border, green enamel
Central motif: Moulded rope/cord medallion with geometric diamond/lozenge lattice
Maker: Unmarked / currently unattributed

Condition

A remarkable survivor considering its approximately 200-year age and extremely vulnerable pierced construction.

The reticulated border remains structurally intact.

There is age-related glaze crazing, firing imperfections and surface wear consistent with early pearlware production.

There are also areas of glaze loss/chipping around the underside foot rim, clearly photographed. These are principally on the underside and do not significantly detract from the display appearance.

Please study all photographs carefully as they form part of the condition report.

No restoration known to me.

An attractive and increasingly difficult-to-find example of early English moulded and reticulated pottery, particularly interesting for its unusually elaborate green rope-and-diamond central basketry motif.

Ideal for a collector of Georgian pottery, pearlware, creamware, Leeds-style pottery, early Staffordshire ceramics or English decorative arts.