Plate, 9.25 inches diameter. Blue transfer. Printed and impressed maker's marks for Thomas Furnival & Sons. The registry diamond dates the pattern registration to 21 April 1876. This pattern features a central image of a cluster of lotus blossoms and leaves growing in water surrounded by a narrow circular border of interlocking triangles divided by lines. Around this central image are alternating motifs consisting of a large, ornate hanging basket filled with trailing stems of flowers and pairs of flowers tied together with a ribbon in a bow. The rim is decorated with the same narrow band of interlocking triangles that surrounds the central image.

Following involvement in previous partnerships, from 1851 Jacob and Thomas Furnival became partners at J & T Furnival. As well as earthenware manufacturers, they were in business as Grinders of Potters’ Materials at Etruria Vale, in the borough of Hanley. In 1859 Jacob Furnival, Thomas Furnival, and Francis Joseph Emery applied for a patent for “Improvements in apparatus for supporting articles of china and earthenware in kilns and ovens.” In May 1864 the partnership between Jacob and Thomas Furnival was dissolved and the business was continued by Thomas Furnival. Around 1871, Thomas Furnival the younger joined the business which became Thomas Furnival and Son. In 1876, another son, Samuel Bourne Furnival joined the business, which became Thomas Furnival and Sons. Around 1883 the company found itself in financial difficulty with liabilities of £60,000 (around £5 million in 2020 terms). In 1884 there was a notice of “Liquidation by Agreement” which allowed the company to trade out of its difficulties. Thomas Furnival Sr. retired in 1890 and the business was continued by his sons Thomas, Samuel, and Arthur. The style of the business became Furnivals.