Ruby Lustre Dish with Dragon and Owls (reverse)

William De Morgan always decorated the reverse of his stunning plates, so that they became complete artworks which could be admired from every angel. This mirrored the Arts and Crafts Movement ideal of a single worker completing the whole object. He adhered to William Morris's philosophy and the movements ideals which rejected industrialisation.

Here, De Morgan has used elements of the animals featured in full on front of the plate. Owls heads with folded wings rise up from the rim, intercepted with dragon talons. The formal qualities and stylistic arrangement makes it difficult to spot these critters at first, in a plate which looks purely decorative.