Serving plate, 12 x 10 inches. Red transfer. Printed maker's mark for William Baker & Co. with pattern name contained within the garter border. This lovely Aesthetic pattern features a low squat vase with handles, flared lip, and pedestal similar in style to an ancient Greek krater. The vase is decorated with geometric and floral motifs and filled with large twiggy branches with leaves and large berries, very reminiscent of Japanese ikebana, or flower arranging. Two butterflies hover over the scene. The border features alternating motifs consisting of the same butterflies and berry-laden branches in the well. The pattern name "Privet" may very likely refer to the European privet plant which features similar leaves and berries as seen here.

The business has a history dating back to 1790. By the end of the century Ralph Bourne and William Baker were working together as 'Bourne & Baker.' By the late 1820s, Ralph Bourne and William Baker, in partnership with John Bourne, had acquired an additional works. In 1833, with the deaths of John Bourne and William Baker, the partnership was dissolved, and then for a short time the business was carried on by Ralph Bourne, William Baker the younger, and John Baker. By 1839 William Baker was running the business alone. The business was subsequently carried on as William Baker and Company, makers of printed, sponged, and pearl-white granite ware for export. In the 1851 census William Baker also described himself as "Joint Coal Proprietor" because the partnership rented 18 acres of land on the south side of Fenton House which belonged to Lane End Chapel. Here they opened a colliery called Glebe Colliery which supplied coal to the factory and to other pottery manufacturers in the area. Next to the colliery they opened a brick-works served by an adjacent clay pit. The potworks flourished under William Baker’s management and by the middle of the 19th century, with almost 500 employees, was the biggest firm in Fenton. The firm changed its name from William Baker & Co. (1839-1868) to Baker & Co. in 1869 and was dissolved on 4 October 1893. Baker & Co. consisted of the three partners Joseph Gimson, William Edward Challinor, and Thomas Jones. The company was incorporated as Baker & Co. Ltd. in 1893.