Transfer-printed ceramics are a quintessentially British form of tableware which have been exported around the world for the past two hundred years. Transfer-printing technology was developed in Britain at the end of the 18th century, however the introduction of mass-production techniques in the 19th century led to a huge increase in the manufacture of transfer-printed wares. For over a century Britain was the leading manufacturer and exporter of transferware, with potteries in Staffordshire, Worcester, Shropshire and elsewhere typically making plates, jugs and dinner services in blue and white for the growing middle classes, who could afford this good quality but relatively cheap type of tableware.

J & M. P. Bell’s pottery was established in Glasgow in the early 1840s and became the leading pottery manufacturer in Scotland, making sanitary wares, jugs, pitchers, dinner and tea services for the UK and American markets. From 1881 the firm was managed by John Murdoch, who oversaw a period of great innovation and success, including the establishment of a thriving export trade with Southeast Asia. At a time when the demand for transferware was declining in the UK, the J & M. P. Bell pottery adapted their transfer patterns for a new market, incorporating Asian motifs of fruit, flowers and animals not seen in British patterns, and using Malaysian pattern names to appeal to a Southeast Asian audience. The patterns on the plates and bowls are therefore notably distinct from typical British transferware, showing a brilliantly bold confluence of styles from East and West. The pottery also innovated by often printing the designs in two different colours on the same piece, creating a contrast between the border pattern and central design. This distinctive feature of Bell export wares is not seen on pieces sold for the home market and was clearly thought to appeal to Southeast Asian consumers.