Indian Tree pottery pattern

The Tree of Life in textiles:

The Indian tree pattern is a distinctive and recurring motif in textile and decorative arts, known for its lush, stylized depictions of trees, flowers, birds, and sometimes animals. It has deep roots in Indian art traditions and a fascinating journey across cultures and centuries.

Origins in India:

The tree motif appears across ancient Indian art, symbolizing life, fertility, and spiritual growth. The Tree of Life, shows up in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain cosmology.
The pattern became especially prominent in Mughal India (16th–18th centuries). Mughal textiles often featured elaborate garden and floral motifs.

"In India, the Tree of Life comes from several sources such as the Bodhi tree under which Buddha received enlightenment; the Peepal and Banyan trees associated with Hindu mythology; and as the tree of immortality alluded to in Islam."

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Hanging or Bed Cover; India; Late 18th century; Pounced and painted cotton; 308.6 x 231.1 cm; The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Global Spread:

During the 17th–18th centuries, Indian textiles (especially chintz) were in high demand in Europe. European traders (especially the Dutch and British East India Companies) exported large quantities of Indian fabrics.

The “Tree of Life” or “Indian tree” motif became wildly popular and influenced European decorative arts, including English chintz, French toiles, and ceramics like those from Spode and Wedgwood.

In Victorian Britain, the pattern was reinterpreted in wallpapers and upholstery. It was admired for its exotic beauty and symmetry.

Design Characteristics:

Typically features a single, central tree rising from a mound, spreading its branches in a stylized, balanced way.
Surrounding elements may include birds, flowers (like lotus or peonies), and fruits.

The design blends naturalism and stylisation, a hallmark of Indian aesthetic.

From Fabric to Pottery:

Indian Influence on Western Ceramics:

The intricate Tree of Life motifs from Indian textiles (like chintz and palampores) captured the imagination of European consumers.
European potters, particularly in England, began imitating these designs to cater to this growing fascination.
These motifs were often adapted into transferware — a technique using engraved copper plates to transfer designs onto ceramics.

Coalport Indian Tree:

The now familiar "Indian tree" pattern, was said to have been first produced around 1802 (although some sources say c.1820) at the Coalport porcelain works, Shropshire, England.

Although this design became known as "Indian Tree" it wasn't directly Indian — it was a European interpretation inspired by Indian and Chinese motifs.

The design typically shows a stylized tree with curling branches, large blooming flowers, and sometimes birds, all in a symmetrical layout. It was printed in a variety of colors (green, pink, multicolor) on white earthenware and became hugely popular.

Coalport Tree of Life pattern

Cultural Significance:

For Europeans, the pattern was “exotic,” representing the romanticized East.
For Indians, the tree (especially in its original context) represented cosmic order, life cycles, and divine creation — ideas that were usually lost or altered in the Western adaptation.
Over time, the Indian Tree pattern became a staple of ceramic design and versions were produced by numerous English potteries - it is still collected and reproduced today.

Semi Porcelain
The Henry Alcock Pottery Ltd
Fenton
Stoke-on-Trent
England

the hand painted number is probably a pattern reference
the impressed 11 10 is the month-year of manufacture, in this case November 1910
the impressed '17' is likely to be a size or mould number.

The Henry Alcock Pottery Ltd operated at Fenton from October 1909 to 1911