Non-Western Forms & Motifs

Anthony Shaw, "Corea," c. 1880.

Fascination with the East

Many of the forms and motifs used in Aesthetic transferware patterns were derived from Japanese sources: woodblock prints, screens, fans, textiles, paintings, etc. British designers, like most other Europeans at the time however, had very little knowledge or understanding of Japan and often conflated that country's art with that of China and other Asian countries.

Some of the forms and motifs borrowed from Japanese and other sources include mon; cartouches; ribbons, scrolls, and fans; and traditional plants and animals.

Minton, Unnamed Pattern, c. 1880.

Japanese Mon

Mon, also called kamon, are Japanese coats of arms and relate to specific families. Several design elements distinguish mon from other types of coats of arms:

Typically contained within a circle.
Tend to have axial or rotational symmetry.
Rely more on abstract geometric shapes than realistic reproductions of real-world items.

Mon have been around for at least as long as their European counterparts, and while they similarly had a military purpose, they were also patterned directly into clothing as well as wrought into metal. Many Japanese textiles were exported to Europe and artists were exposed to them there, in addition to seeing them in woodblock prints.

Aesthetic transferware designs utilized mon quite frequently. Occasionally a designer would copy a mon directly, but more often than not, they would be repurposed as needed.

Examples of Traditional Japanese Mon

Butterfly - Chō

Crane - Tsuru

Comma - Tomoe

Gingko - Ichō

Carriage Wheel - Genji guruma

Wild Geese - Karigane

Wisteria - Sagarifuji

Hawk - Takanoha

Japanese Ginger - Daki Myōga

Hollyhock - Maru ni mitsu aoi

Three Fans - Mitsu ōgi

Double Chrysanthemum - Jyūroku yae kiku

Shore bird - Chidori

Half Sharp Flowers

Bamboo Grass Gentian - Sasa rindō

Circled Bellflower - Maru ni Kikyou

Examples of Mon in Japanese Art

Noh Costume (Nuihaku) with mon detail, Edo period (1615–1868), silk embroidery and gold leaf on silk satin.

Utagawa Hiroshige, "Dyers' Quarter, Kanda," from One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, 1857, woodblock print.

Kitagawa Utamaro, "Takashima Ohisa," 1793, woodblock print.

Utagawa Kunisada, "Chapter 31- The Cypress Pillar," 1857.

Examples of Aesthetic Transferware with Mon

William Alsager Adderley & Co., "Lyons," c. 1876-1885.

Gildea & Walker, "Daimio," 1881.

(Notice the use of the wild geese (karigane mon) in the center bottom.)

Thomas Furnival & Sons, "Siam," c. 1871-1890.

Thomas Till & Sons, "Simoda," c. 1880-1890.

Dunn, Bennett & Co., "Oriental," c. 1878-1887.

Thomas Hughes, "Sitka," c. 1860-1876.

David Methven & Sons, "The Mill," c. 1880.

Cartouches

Cartouches had been used as an ornamental figure in European art starting sometime in the 16th century. They were used on architecture, maps, coats of arms, and book frontispieces, among other things. These cartouches were often ornate and dramatic, with many scrolling forms and pictorial additions.

The cartouches used in Aesthetic transferware are much simpler and more linear, calling to mind the simple author and title cartouches found on Japanese woodblock prints or the oval cartouches of the Ancient Egyptians. Cartouches could even be found on the blue-and-white Chinese porcelain so popular with Aesthetes and the British public.

Examples of European Cartouches

Didier and Gilles Robert de Vaugondy, "L'Empire du Japon," 1750, David Rumsey Map Center, Stanford University Library, USA.

Stefano della Bella, "Title page for Nouvelles inventions de Cartouches," 1647, etching, Metropolitan Museum of Art, USA

Daniel Rabel, "Cartouches de diferentes Inventions. Tres Utilles a plussieurs sortes de Personnes," 1634, V&A Museum, England.

Examples of Non-Western Cartouches

Keisai Eisen, "Ono-no-Komachi," c. 1830, woodblock print.

Cartouche of Queen Hatshepsut, Obelisk of Queen Hatshepsut, 1503-1482 BCE, Karnak Temple, Luxor, Egypt.

"Hundred Antiques Vases," Kangxi Period, 1662-1722, porcelain.

Examples of Aesthetic Transferware with Cartouches

Hall & Read, "Cannes," 1883.

Unknown Maker, Unnamed Pattern, c. 1880.

E. & C. Challinor, "Wolseley," c. 1860-1890.

Brownhills Pottery Co., "Mersey," 1890.

Ridgways, "Devonshire," 1884.

J. & M. P. Bell & Co., "Mikado," c. 1881-1890.

Old Hall Earthenware Co. Ltd., Unnamed Pattern, c. 1861-1884.

Scrolls, Fans, & Ribbons

Popular forms included in Aesthetic transferware patterns were fans, scrolls, and ribbons. Japanese fans were a hugely popular import item in Britain and many people, including the Aesthetes, decorated their walls with them. Scrolls, such as Japanese hand scrolls (emaki) and hanging scrolls (kakemono), were also popular collectibles and decorative items for the home.

The source origins for the ribbons, however, is unclear. Neither Japanese nor Chinese art feature ribbons or streamers in any great quantity. Ribbons and streamers were sometimes a part of European cartouches from the 16th and 17th centuries, but also not in any great quantity. They have been included in this list, because they feature prominently on quite a few Aesthetic transferware patterns that are clearly in the Anglo-Japanese style, so it's possible their inspiration came from non-western sources, however obscure.

Examples of Scrolls, Fans, and Ribbons in Japanese Art

Utagawa Toyokuni I, "Two Women Dancing," from Fashionable Women's Fans, c. 1800, woodbloack print.

Utagawa Hiroshige, "The Tanabata Festival," from One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, 1857, woodblock print.

Onishi Chinnen, uncut fan print (uchiwa-e), c. 1829.

Shunzan, "Fujiwara no Yukihide," date unknown, illustrated hand scroll (emaki).

Toyohara Chikanobu, "Tanabata Festival," 1885, woodblock print.

Kano Seisui, hanging scroll (kakemono), c. 1800-1880, painted silk, The British Museum, England.

Examples of Aesthetic Transferware with Ribbons

Wedgwood & Co., "Albany," c. 1860-1890.

Unknown Maker, "Japanese," c. 1880.

Thomas Till & Sons, "Jeddo," c. 1880.

William Alsager Adderley & Co., "Lyons," c. 1876-1885.

Challinor & Mayer, "Umbria," c. 1887-1888.

Powell, Bishop & Stonier, "Kensington," c. 1880-1890.

Examples of Aesthetic Transferware with Scrolls

W. T. Copeland & Sons, "Cairo," 1882.

Davenport, "Nile," c. 1880.

Davenport, Unnamed Pattern, c. 1850-1887.

Unknown Maker, Unnamed Pattern, c. 1880

John Marshall & Co., "Bamboo," c. 1854-1890.

Examples of Aesthetic Transferware with Fans

G. L. Ashworth & Bros., Unnamed Pattern, c. 1860-1890.

W. T. Copeland & Sons, Unnamed Pattern, c. 1880.

Henry Alcock & Co., "Kenilworth," c. 1891-1910.

Bovey Tracey Pottery Co., "Fan," c. 1880.

E. F. Bodley & Co., "Japanese," c. 1865-1880.

Brown-Westhead, Moore & Co., "Jeddo," c. 1880.

Davenport, "Iolanthe," c. 1870-1887.

Animals

Bat - In China and Japan bats are a symbol of longevity, happiness, and good luck.
Butterfly - In Japan, butterflies are important, because they are perceived to be the soul of the living and the dead. They symbolize joy and longevity. In China butterflies symbolize long life, beauty, and elegance.
Crane (Tsuru) - In both Japan and China, this bird symbolizes longevity and good fortune.
Fish - In China, fish symbolize abundance and wealth. In Japan the koi is a symbol of perseverance.
Kingfisher - This bird symbolizes peace and prosperity in China.
Peacock - In China this bird symbolizes dignity, beauty, and fame.

Traditional Plants & Animals

There are a number of plants and animals that feature heavily in Japanese and Chinese art, both for their symbolism and their aesthetic qualities. These include, but are not limited to:

Plants/Flowers

Bamboo (Take) - In China this fast-growing plant symbolizes youth, endurance, and luck. In Japan it symbolizes prosperity.
Camellia (Tsubaki) - Often used in traditional Japanese patterns, it symbolizes humility, discretion, and perfect love.
Chrysanthemum (Kiku) - Imported from China, this is the symbol of the Imperial Family. It also symbolized nobility, trust, and purity.
Japanese apricot (Ume) - Imported from China, this flower symbolizes elegance, faithfulness, and a pure heart.
Japanese cherry (Sakura) - The national flower of Japan, it symbolizes accomplishment and beauty of heart.
Lotus (Hasu) - In China and Japan the lotus symbolizes purity of mind, heart, and body.
Peach (Momo) - Said to have been imported from China in the Yayoi period (300 BCE - 300 CE). In China the peach symbolizes long life and is the divine fruit of the gods. In Japan it can symbolize fertility and longevity.
Peony (Botan) - Known as the "King of Flowers," the peony symbolized good fortune, bravery, and honor in Japan. In China, it symbolizes royalty and virtue.
Persimmon (Kaki) - Native to China, this fruit is symbolic of good luck and longevity in both China and Japan.
Pomegranate - In China, the many-seeded pomegranate can symbolize fertility.