Unattributed (possibly John Meir and Son), Staffordshire ‘Wild Rose’ pattern plate, ca 1830s

In the eighteenth century, potteries such as Wedgwood and Worcester manufactured tea and dining services illustrated with topographical views. The most famous of these was the Frog Service, produced for Catherine the Great of Russia by Wedgwood in 1773 and incorporating an array of views of Brown landscapes including Alnwick, Audley End, Blenheim, Trentham, and Wimpole Hall. Hand-painted, such manufactures were prohibitively expensive. However, innovations in transfer printing led to the mass production of affordable topographical ceramics. Alongside the famous Willow Pattern, one of the most popular designs was ‘Wild Rose’, comprising a decorative floral border around a view of Brown’s landscape at Nuneham Courtenay, Oxfordshire. Thus, by the mid-nineteenth century, Brown’s vision had reached not only into the parlours and libraries of British households, but also into their dining rooms.