Mason's Mandarin Pattern Circular Trinket Box

Offered for sale is a Mason's Ironstone circular trinket box in decorated the Mandarin Brown pattern which is the inky ironstone blue and ochre on an ivory ground. Dating from the 1920s but pre-1940s it was one of the first ‘Amber Glaze’ products produced by Masons. Transfer printed with the backstamp "Mason's Patent Ironstone China" with the pattern name ‘Mandarin’ and "Made in England which dates it to after 1920. Charles James Mason registered the patent name ‘Ironstone’ in 1813 for the ‘Improvement of the Manufacture of English Porcelain, "Ironstone Patent China" Patent number 3724. The name was soon adopted by competitors, whom were using similar materials. Contrary to popular belief, Ironstone does not contain iron. The name is derived from its ‘iron-like’ strength and durability. Ironstone is an earthenware vitreous pottery with stoneware appearance and properties. It was mass produced as a cheaper alternative to porcelain. In 1922, Mason’s Ironstone introduced "Amber Glaze" describing it as "a ground colour of the ware, is a soft pale Ivory and the colouring unusually fine". "Minuet" was the first pattern produced in this new glaze and Mandarin soon followed.