Victorian Japonisme Transferware Platter , H. Alcock & Co — 1884

A refined late-Victorian English platter produced by H. Alcock & Co. and marked Kenilworth, featuring an elegant transfer-printed design firmly rooted in the Aesthetic Movement and the era’s fascination with Japonisme. Executed in warm sepia-brown on a creamy ivory ground, the composition blends flowering branches, bamboo sprays, birds in flight, and vignette-style landscape cartouches—hallmarks of late 19th-century Anglo-Japanese decorative taste.

The platter’s gently faceted rim and balanced rectangular form lend it a distinctly architectural presence, while the restrained palette allows the finely rendered motifs to read with clarity and sophistication. Both decorative and functional, this piece exemplifies the period’s shift toward artful tablewares intended to harmonize with thoughtfully designed interiors.

The reverse bears a printed KENILWORTH / H. ALCOCK & CO. / COBRIDGE / ENGLAND mark alongside the impressed patent stamp dated February 12, 1884, grounding the platter firmly in its historical and industrial context.

An exceptional example of Victorian English transferware, equally suited for display in a kitchen, dining room, or layered within a ceramic or Aesthetic Movement collection.

Condition:

Good antique condition overall. Light surface wear, minor speckling, and gentle crazing consistent with age and use. No structural cracks or repairs observed.

Provenance:

Private collection, England

Creator: H. Alcock & Co.

Pattern: Kenilworth

Origin: Cobridge, Staffordshire, England

Date: Circa 1884 (patent dated February 12, 1884)

Materials: Ironstone / Earthenware with brown transfer decoration

Dimensions: 11 in. x 15 in.