the plate
do note! i did want to point out out what i think is a production artifact or perhaps a scuff where there is a slight amount of glaze missing. it is on the side of the plate so not very visible. in only spotted it at the last minute when creating the listing. it is about ⅛" wide. you can view the second image for this. otherwise, i can find no issues. the blue room collection was reintroduced in the 1990s (you can read more about spode and the collection below)... but was then discontinued. this is a big plate and shaped really wonderfully with a very useful slightly curved edge/perimeter. this was made in england and is an underglaze print from an hand engraved copper plate. here is the information on the base of the plate (see last image)
[image of josiah spode]from top rim to opposite top rim is about 11⅝". the rim is about 1½" above the surface on which the plate rests. you can view the second-to-last image to gain a sense of scale.
the
spode blue room
collection
‹willow›
first introduced
c. 1790
underglaze print from a hand
enmgraved copper plate
spode
made in
england
s3426-a5
the willow pattern was developed around 1790 by josiah spode from an original chinese pattern called mandarin. the pattern has been extremely popular ever since its introduction although the legend attached to it is doubtful. many similar patterns were produced in the late 1700s and early 1800s by several different manufacturers. in the late 18th/early 19th century any blue printed design imitating chinese porcelain was often described as willow. the main features of the true willow pattern are the willow tree, the bridge with three persons crossing it, the boat, the main teahouse, the two birds and the fence in the foreground of the garden. there is apparently no chinese pattern which contains all the features of the standard willow pattern. three different versions were produced in the early spode period with differences in the engraving technique and the colors of blue used. in the 1990s, willow was reintroduced as part of the blue room collection. spode willow is discontinued.
josiah spode (1733–1797) established his pottery company in stoke-on-trent in 1770. spode developed some of the finest quality english bone china in existence and introduced his superior under glaze transferware printing process in order to enhance these bone china pieces in the early 1780s.
spode was produced in a variety of types, patterns, and styles. spode is varied. there is traditional bone china, earthenware including pearlware with its distinctive blue glaze and creamware with its typically light beige tone. spode also produces stoneware pieces including basalt and jasperware (like wedgwood). registered spode marks (and there are several different ones) date back to the early 1780s.
while staffordshire pottery manufacturers including spode represented the pinnacle of ceramic production, the blue underglaze transfer decorative process became the gold standard and it was made famous by spode. the longstanding and highly desirable blue/white spode dinnerware pieces decorated with engraved images of italian vista scenes and other popular subjects brought spode worldwide exposure and fame. many people associate the spode name with the famous blue willow pattern which was first introduced in the mid 1780s. while other pottery manufacturers tried various recipes for making its ceramic body, Spode stuck to the traditional method of using finely ground bone ash, kaolin, and china stone for its ceramic bodies. spode, in essence, produced a new type of porcelain called bone china.
unexpectedly, josiah spode died in 1797 and his son, also josiah ii, continued the business and shortly thereafter partnered with william copeland to form the firm of copeland spode.
by 1806, spode was the largest pottery factory in stoke-on-trent and had an appointment of the prince regent of wales—a prestigious honor—to produce ceramics for the royals. spode ceramics were widely collected by wealthy art collectors, arbiters of fine taste, heads of state, celebrities and others who desire high quality dinnerware and decorative objects. spode pieces and rare pattern and design-books are on display in major museums such as the victoria and albert museum and winterthur.
the spode and copeland spode names were used for centuries to highlight quality items. in 2009, the portmeirion group acquired spode and the firm remains in stoke-on-trent.
maker's and/or other marks
this was made in england and is an underglaze print from an hand engraved copper plate. here is the information on the base of the plate (see last image)
[image of josiah spode]
the
spode blue room
collection
‹willow›
first introduced
c. 1790
underglaze print from a hand
enmgraved copper plate
spode
made in
england
s3426-a5
dimensions
from top rim to opposite top rim is about 11⅝". the rim is about 1½" above the surface on which the plate rests. you can view the second-to-last image to gain a sense of scale.
shipping costs have really increased—this is calculated into the buy-it-now price. i really add a large amount of packaging to protect what i ship, so that will inherently add alot of weight already. and shipping prices increase greatly with minor increments in weight.
i am not able to sell individual items from items i have listed as a group. i just don't have the stamina to create new listings for those. i apologize for that. i haven't initially individually listed items because i don't have enough listing slots to so.
trying to downsize some, though extremely melancholically.
shipping time: i otherwise work more than full time and my health isn't great, so kindly excuse the longer handling time. if i am able to ship sooner, i absolutely will do that. i appreciate you taking the time to view my listing.