1920s Spode Plates

Steeped in British history and tradition, the name Copeland Spode is renowned among porcelain collectors for its fine-quality bone china and earthenware pieces. With its roots in Spode — one of the oldest and most distinguished of the great pottery companies of Staffordshire, the time-honored home of English ceramics — Copeland Spode is known to pottery enthusiasts for some of the most timeless and recognizable patterns produced in 19th and early 20th-century porcelain manufacturing such as Wicker Lane, Chinese Rose and Tower. Collectors regard Copeland-marked pieces as Spode china.

The story of Copeland Spode china began in 1770 when English potter Josiah Spode founded a pottery and homewares company called Spode in Stoke-on-Trent, England. Within fifteen years, the manufacturer became known for its signature blue-on-white palette, and one of the company’s designers developed a specific cobalt hue for their teapots, trays, bowls and more. Spode’s founder was particularly revered for two technical achievements in the firm’s early decades. The first was to develop a standard formula for the making of bone china — a type of porcelain (made with a mixture of bone ash, minerals and clay) that is dazzlingly white and so strong it can be used to create very thin translucent plates and vessels. The other was to perfect the making of transferware.

In 1833, entrepreneurs William Taylor Copeland (the Lord Mayor of London at the time) and Thomas Garrett purchased Spode’s pottery-making company following the death of Josiah Spode III, and the name was changed to Copeland Spode. Then, in 1847, Copeland became the firm’s sole owner and the name changed again, this time to W. T. Copeland and Sons, in 1867 when Copeland retired and his four sons took over the business. 

Trading as W. T. Copeland and Sons throughout the mid-to-late 19th century, the company found a formidable competitor in another well-known porcelain maker, Minton. Many of the manufacturer’s Georgian, Rococo and late-Victorian pieces such as its dinner plates, tableware, platters, bowls and baskets were commissioned by wealthy British and European clients and exported for sale throughout the British Empire and to the United States. Several of W. T. Copeland and Sons’ spectacular pieces were exhibited at the Great Exhibition of London in 1851 and the International Exhibitions of London and Paris in 1862 and 1878, respectively.

In addition to their exceptional quality and design, the company’s ceramics were particularly prized for their intricate patterns which featured a variety of colors. For instance, its popular Tower pattern was available in a pale ultramarine blue, a darker Royal Saxon blue, rose pink, brown and green. 

The company continued as W. T. Copeland and Sons until 1970 when Spode again became the brand's name. Afterward, during the late 1970s, Spode, Royal Worcester and Palissy came under common ownership. In 2009, the firm was purchased by the Portmeirion Group. However, the Spode and Royal Worcester names continue to flourish as highly popular “traditional English heritage” brands within the Portmeirion company.

Find antique Copeland Spode serveware, decorative objects and more collectibles on 1stDibs.

While it isn’t always top of mind for some, antique and vintage tableware can enhance even the most informal meal. It has been an intimate part of how we’ve interacted with our food for millennia.

Tableware has played a basic but important role in everyday life. Ancient Egyptians used spoons (which are classified as flatware) made of ivory and wood, while Greeks and Romans, who gathered for banquets involving big meals and entertainment, ate with forks and knives. At the beginning of the 17th century, however, forks were still uncommon in American homes. Over time, tableware has thankfully evolved and today includes increasingly valuable implements.

Tableware refers to the tools people use to set the table, including serving pieces, dinner plates and more. It encompasses everything from the intricate and elaborate to the austere and functional, yet are all what industrial product designer Jasper Morrison might call “Super Normal” — anonymous objects that are too useful to be considered banal.

There are four general categories of tableware — serveware, dinnerware, drinkware and, lastly, flatware, which is commonly referred to as silverware or cutlery. Serveware includes serving bowls, platters, gravy boats, casserole pans and ladles. Most tableware is practical, but it can also be decorative. And decorative objects count as tableware too. Even though they don’t fit squarely into one of the four categories, vases, statues and floral arrangements are traditional centerpieces.

Drinkware appropriately refers to the vessels we use for our beverages — mugs, cups and glasses. There is a good deal of variety that falls under this broad term. For example, your cheerful home bar or mid-century modern bar cart might be outfitted with a full range of vintage barware, which might include pilsner glasses and tumblers. Specialty cocktails are often served in these custom glasses, but they’re still a type of drinkware.

Every meal should be special — even if you’re using earthenware or stoneware for a casual lunch — but perhaps you’re hosting a dinner party to mark a specific event. The right high-quality tableware can bring a touch of luxury to your cuisine. Young couples, for example, traditionally add “fine china,” or porcelain, to their wedding registry as a commemoration of their union and likely wouldn’t turn down exquisite silver made by Tiffany & Co. or Georg Jensen.

It’s important to remember, however, that when you’re setting the dining room table to have fun with it. Just as you might mix and match your dining chairs, don’t be afraid to mix new and old or high and low with your tableware. On 1stDibs, find an extraordinary range of vintage and antique tableware to help elevate your meal as well as the mood and atmosphere of your entire dining room.