This octagonal dish features the ‘quail’ pattern, a motif depicting one or two small birds with various flora, which was commonly found on Japanese Kakiemon porcelain. It is one of the most popular Japanese patterns adapted for use on European-made porcelain. There were various European versions of this pattern. The most common is the one displayed here. It shows a pair of birds, one in red and the other in blue, under a flowering prunus tree. Several factories tried different ways to enhance this design. At Bow, the pattern was often combined with a red floral border enhanced with touches of gold as shown in this example. The Bow factory, established in 1744, was probably the largest of all porcelain factories in 18th century England, employing about 300 people by the 1760s. Unlike Chelsea which focused on manufacturing porcelain for the affluent, Bow produced wares for a larger market.
