Four Designs for Decorated Plates and a Quatrefoil Rondel 1852

Alfred Henry Forrester made these four designs for decorated plates and a quatrefoil rondel using pen and watercolor. The composition is structured around geometric forms, primarily circles, and is arranged symmetrically on the sheet. The designs explore variations of ornamental patterns, from floral motifs to geometric abstractions, contained within the circular format of plates. Forrester plays with figure-ground relationships, particularly in the central rondel, where the dark quatrefoil shape reverses the traditional spatial order, challenging the viewer’s perception of depth and form. This subversion is reinforced through color. The restricted palette—predominantly blacks, reds, and blues—creates a visual tension that animates the decorative arts. The designs operate semiotically, referencing historical styles, while simultaneously disrupting these references through abstraction and simplification. It invites us to consider how meaning is constructed through the interplay of historical allusion and formal innovation, reminding us that design is not just aesthetic but also a carrier of cultural and intellectual values.