Lot 525: Large Mid-19th Century Staffordshire Blue Transfer-Printed Earthenware Meat Platter in the Ruins Pattern 49x41cm

A large mid-19th century Staffordshire earthenware meat platter of oval form with a lobed, scalloped rim. The piece is constructed with a tree-and-well design, featuring a deep recessed well at one end and integral drainage channels to the surface for the collection of meat juices. It is supported by four integral feet to the underside. The platter is decorated in underglaze cobalt blue transfer print, featuring a central romanticised landscape scene from the Ruins series. The central vignette depicts Gothic architectural ruins with pointed arches, a distant castle situated on a hill, and a foreground group comprising three figures in late Georgian or early Victorian attire amidst lush foliage. The wide border is decorated with dense, naturalistic floral clusters including roses and primrose-type flowers, enclosed by a repeating geometric and scroll inner border. The underside features a printed blue cartouche mark consisting of a classical plinth surrounded by foliage; the upper section of the plinth contains the word RUINS and the centre bears the initials IC.