Mason's Ironstone rarely stayed within one register of decoration, and this covered urn shows the company reaching for full theatrical scale: standing the better part of two feet with its lid on, the body given over to a dense chrysanthemum-and-bamboo design in raised gilt over a deep cobalt ground, with a gilt pheasant worked into the scene on one side. The pierced lid borrows its form from smaller pot-pourri jars, but here it reads as pure display, crowned by a gilt foo dog finial standing guard on top and looking rather pleased with the view from up there.
The combination sits within the wider Victorian taste for Japonisme, Mason's and its contemporaries borrowing motifs and compositions from Japanese export ware and reworking them at increasingly ambitious scale for a domestic market that couldn't get enough of cobalt and gold. The raised, almost embossed quality of the gilding here is heavier-handed than typical transfer-and-enamel decoration, giving the surface real texture under the glaze.
Condition notes
Very good antique condition. Wear to the gilding is visible on the high points of the body and around the rim, with scattered surface scratching consistent with age and handling. The lid and body show expected crazing to the glaze. No chips or cracks are apparent to either section.
