Spode Pearlware Soup Plate, Blue and White "Chase After A Wolf", 1815-1833

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Spode Pearlware Soup Plate, Blue and White "Chase After A Wolf", 1815-1833

About the Item

This is a stunning Spode soup plate made between 1815 and 1833. The plate is made of pearlware and decorated with a superbly executed blue and white transfer print belonging to the very famous and now extremely rare "Indian Sporting" series. This particular depiction is called "Chase After A Wolf", as you can read on the reverse of one of the plate. Blue on white decorations were done in East Asia for many centuries, and were made popular in the West by the Dutch Delftware potters in the 17th century. In circa 1800, the famous Spode factory in Staffordshire created a transfer printing process that could mass produce beautifully decorated blue and white wares, making this a very common and desired choice of tableware for the two centuries to come. Potters all over Britain quickly started to make use of this new technology and copied the famous Spode patterns. These printed patterns varied widely in their quality; these plates are of superb quality in every aspect. The image is an exciting and fanciful depiction of a hunting scene: a wolf is running with a lamb it caught, chased by two dogs and Indians in loin cloths carrying spears. A third man is perched over the rocks, ready to throw a rock on top of the wolf. The rim of the plate is adorned with pictures of tigers, lions, cranes and wild boars. The image was based on Samuel Howitt's engravings from 'Indian Field Sports' published in 1807. Of course the pottery artists had never been in India and there was no internet to study what things looked like in India, so this plate ended up a curious mix of various exotic elements, looking nothing like the actual India or Indians! But of course you have to see these things in the context of their own time. Condition report: The plate is in excellent antique condition with no damage or wear, although it has some crazing that is visible on the back. Antique British porcelain is never perfect. Kilns were fired on coal in the 1800s, and this meant that china from that period can have some firing specks from flying particles. British makers were also known for their experimentation, and sometimes this resulted in technically imperfect results. Due to the shrinkage in the kiln, items can have small firing lines or develop crazing over time, which should not be seen as damage but as an imperfection of the maker's recipes, probably unknown at the time of making. Items have often been used for many years and can have normal signs of wear, and gilt can have signs of slight disintegration even if never handled. I will reflect any damage, repairs, obvious stress marks, crazing or heavy wear in the item description but some minor scratches, nicks, stains and gilt disintegration can be normal for vintage items and need to be taken into account. There is widespread confusion on the internet about the difference between chips and nicks, or hairlines and cracks. I will reflect any damage as truthfully as I can, i.e. a nick is a tiny bit of damage smaller than 1mm and a chip is something you can easily see with the eye; a glazing line is a break in the glazing only; hairline is extremely tight and/or superficial and not picked up by the finger; and a crack is obvious both to the eye and the finger. Dimensions: 24.5cm (9 5/8") diameter, 4cm (1 5/8") height at the rim.

Creator:
Spode (Maker)
Dimensions:
Height: 1.65 in (4.2 cm)Diameter: 9.65 in (24.52 cm)
Style:
Regency (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Pearlware
Place of Origin:
England
Period:
Early 19th Century
Date of Manufacture:
1815-1833
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. no damage or wear, only a bit of crazing that is only visible on the underside.
Seller Location:
London, GB
Reference Number:
Seller: A-SPO28a1stDibs: LU4805116292521

Shop All Spode

Spode

Spode is one of the oldest and most distinguished of the great pottery companies of Staffordshire, the time-honored home of English ceramics. The firm’s blue and white bone china transferware is a timeless classic. Spode dishes compose the sort of elegant dinner service that most of us envision on a traditional holiday table.

The company was established in 1770 in Stoke-on-Trent by Josiah Spode, a friend and neighbor of another estimable English ceramist, Josiah Wedgwood. Spode was particularly known 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. That process involves the transfer of pictorial images inked on tissue paper — such as the garden scenery in the famous Willow dish patterns — onto ceramics that are then sealed with a glaze. In 1833, following the sudden death of Josiah Spode III, business partner W.T. Copeland took over the company and changed its name. Collectors regard Copeland-marked pieces as Spode china. The Spode brand was revived in 1970.

From the 1820s onward, Spode enjoyed tremendous success both in Britain and elsewhere owing to the beauty and vitality of its decorative imagery. By some counts, Spode created more than 40,000 patterns in the 19th century. Many favorite Spode patterns — among them Blue Italian, India Tree, Greek and Woodland — date to the company’s early years. Spode’s most popular pattern, Christmas Tree, was introduced in 1938. Prices for Spode china vary widely, based on the size of the service, its condition and the pattern. An antique dinner service for 12 people or more, in good repair and complete with cups and serving dishes, will generally cost between $10,000 and $20,000. Such Spode services become heirlooms — a proud and timeless addition to a family’s table. And as you will see on these pages, Spode’s rich and varied wares offer a visual feast in and of themselves.