W. Adams & Sons "Isola Bella" Round Dinner Plate, c. 1850

Quantity: Sold individually. 3 available.

A beautiful example of mid-19th-century Staffordshire transferware, this round dinner plate features W. Adams & Sons’ “Isola Bella” pattern in soft blue transfer on an ivory ground. The romantic central scene depicts an elegant Italianate garden or lakeside landscape, with classical architecture, statuary, water, and figures strolling through the grounds. A delicate floral border of densely printed blossoms and scrolling foliage surrounds the scene.

The reverse bears the W. Adams & Sons mark, with the pattern name “Isola Bella.” Isola Bella refers to the famous island in Lake Maggiore, Italy, renowned for its elaborate Baroque gardens and palazzo, making the subject particularly fitting for the romantic landscape style of the pattern.

W. Adams & Sons was one of the longstanding Staffordshire pottery firms, with the Adams family involved in ceramics in Staffordshire for generations. The firm produced a wide range of transfer-printed earthenwares and stone china, and its wares were widely exported, particularly to the American market. The “Isola Bella” pattern is documented among the firm's blue transferwares from around 1850, placing this example within the firm's important mid-century production period.

Origin: Tunstall, Staffordshire, England
Maker: W. Adams & Sons
Pattern: Isola Bella
Date: c. 1850s
Material: Earthenware
Decoration: Blue transferware
Dimensions: 10" diameter
Condition: Antique condition with age-related crazing, discoloration, and minor imperfections consistent with age and use. Please see photographs for details.

Please Note: Antique transferware naturally varies from piece to piece. Differences in the flow and intensity of the transfer, color saturation, pattern clarity, crazing, staining, discoloration, and other signs of age are to be expected. These variations are part of the character and beauty of antique ceramics, and each piece will have its own individual appearance.