This is a fabulous brown transferware tureen in the Sicilian pattern. Sicilian pattern was introduced by Minton about 1830 and was also made by Pountney and Allies and a third unidentified maker. It has the printed Sicilian cartouche mark on the back. It also has an impress mark that looks like an A which could be for Pountney and Allies.

Pountney entered into a partnership with Edwin Allies in 1816. The firm traded as Pountney & Allies.  The partnership with Allies was dissolved in March 1835. The pottery used several impressed, printed or painted marks during this period. Some used were an impressed "P", impressed B.P. (presumably for Bristol Pottery), P.& A., P.A. and Pountney & Allies. Impressed marks were not always done well and sometimes only part of the mark appears or it can be very faint or illegible.

Around this time period Minton, unfortunately, was not marking his wares.

The pattern depicts a scene with a beautiful garden, ornate archway leading to a very architecturally detailed building. There is a figure, that appears to be Oriental, standing on a stairway. The handles are shell shaped. This is a really exceptional piece of transferware.

There are two small chips on the underside of the rim - one on the underside of each handle. There is light staining.and a small spot on the rim where the ink was smeared.

The tureen measures approximately 12” long from handle to handle, 10” wide, 2 1/2” deep, and 7” high to the top of the handle/finial.