Spode Pearlware Meat Platter, Blue and White Tiber Pattern, Regency, 1811-1833

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Spode Pearlware Meat Platter, Blue and White Tiber Pattern, Regency, 1811-1833

About the Item

This is a beautiful meat platter made by Spode between 1811 and 1833. The platter is made of pearlware and in immaculate condition. It is decorated with a superbly executed blue and white "Tiber" transfer print. This platter would make a fabulous display but is also suitable for use. 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. This pattern was first brought out in 1811 and in the pattern books and correspondence it was originally called "Rome'; however it later became generally known as "Tiber". The engraving was a copy of an aquatint engraving called "The Castle and Bridge of St. Angelo and Trajan's Column in Rome", which appeared in "Merigot's View of Rome and its Vicinity" from about 1797 (see picture). We know that this pattern was introduced at Spode in about 1811 because of a letter that was sent to Wedgwood at Etruria dated 22 February 1812, in which the writer reports: "A lady in our rooms a few days ago stated that she had seen Mr Spode's new blue pattern of the bridge at Rome over the Tiber, and she thought it very handsome". At the Spode Museum in Stoke on Trent, England, you can see the original print this pattern was created after, as well as the original copper plate that provided the paper transfer that these plates were printed with. It is a lively river landscape at the Tiber in Rome, at at the St. Angelo bridge and ancient castle, the towering St Peter's basilica in the distance, and Trajan's column. There is a lot of action on the river: boats, people taking laundry to the river, others buying wares off a boat. In the foreground, someone seems to have cut up a tree just five minutes ago. There are beautiful trees that provide a sense of enclosed space, and a simple but playful rim of abstract forms around the platter. The platter has the blue printed SPODE mark. This dates it to a period between 1811 and 1833. Condition report: The platter is in perfect antique condition without any damage, repairs or wear and only very light crazing. Antique British china 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. Etcetera - I try to be as accurate as I can and please feel free to ask questions or request more detailed pictures! Dimensions: 42cm (16.6") x 32.5cm (12.75").

Creator:
Josiah Spode (Maker)
Dimensions:
Height: 1 in (2.54 cm)Width: 16.6 in (42.17 cm)Depth: 12.75 in (32.39 cm)
Style:
Regency (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Pearlware
Place of Origin:
England
Period:
1810-1819
Date of Manufacture:
1811-1833
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. Excellent condition without damage, wear or repairs; only light crazing.
Seller Location:
London, GB
Reference Number:
Seller: A-SPO57c1stDibs: LU4805124528402

Shop All Josiah Spode

Josiah Spode

English potter Josiah Spode, a friend and neighbor of another estimable English ceramist, Josiah Wedgwood, established his eponymous pottery and homewares company in 1770 in Stoke-on-Trent. Spode is one of the oldest and most distinguished of the great pottery companies of Staffordshire, the time-honored home of English ceramics. Within fifteen years of its opening, Josiah’s company became known for its signature blue-on-white palette, and one of the manufacturer’s designers developed a specific cobalt hue for their teapots, trays, bowls and more.

Spode’s founder apprenticed at the Fenton Low workshop under Thomas Whieldon, an important 18th-century potter known today for his tortoiseshell ware (as did Josiah Wedgwood). Later, after establishing his company, Josiah Spode became 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. 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, 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.

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, and collectors regard Copeland-marked pieces as Spode china.

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.

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