Royal Worcester's blush ivory finish, the same warm-toned glaze James Hadley favoured for his figural work, shows up here on a purely botanical subject rather than a figure: three leaf-shaped handles curl from base to rim, each one gilt-accented and integrated into the body rather than applied as a separate afterthought. The overall palette stays soft throughout, browns, yellows, and greens worked in pastel rather than saturated tones, which suits the leaf motif better than a bolder colour scheme would.
The three-handle arrangement gives the piece a real sculptural quality for something that's ultimately a functional planter, the kind of jardinière built to hold visual interest even before anything's been planted in it. Art Nouveau's organic, plant-derived design language runs through the whole piece, unsurprising given the movement drew so heavily on botanical form to begin with, and a leaf-shaped handle is about as literal an expression of that as porcelain decoration gets.
Condition notes
Very good antique condition. Minor loss to gilt, wear commensurate with age, chip to one leaf, repair and small chip to rim.
