Pattern 1009 Spode bone china Bute shape Coffee Can introduced c1806. The design origins are Chinese and similar patterns have been produced previously by Spode, this is a variation on a theme. The main enamel colours are iron-red, cobalt blue & a small touch of turquoise together with rich gilding. It shows off the lovely white porcelain by leaving areas unpainted which is now possible because porcelain production is starting to become more reliable & less prone to blemishes, although having said that I can still see a speck of kiln dust here.
The decoration is all hand-painted and I like to look closely at the painter's brush-strokes. Magnification is great for that - thank you Adobe!
I still like to search out the tiny stray spots of kiln dust or enamel which have found themselves in the wrong place. I love these little quirks, each piece is unique and has its own 'fingerprint'. No two cups or cans are exactly the same.
A solidly gilt & kinked handle
More cobalt blue spots inside, this is still quite common at this time
A clean base but no pattern number or worker's marks on this example of c1806.