Pattern 1112 Spode bone china Bute shape Tea Cup & Saucer decorated with the Prince of Wales three feathers motif & coronets in gilt on a royal red ground & embellished with further fine gilt work in a scrolling foliate form.
This pattern was introduced by Josiah Spode II c1807 following the very successful visit by the Prince of Wales to the Stoke-on-Trent factory premises the previous year when the honourable appointment of 'Potter & English Porcelain Manufacturer to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales' was conferred on Josiah.
When Leonard Whiter's book, 'Spode, A History of the Family, Factory & Wares from 1733-1833' published its 2nd edition in 1978, he wrote on page 85:
'The visit did leave its mark in the pattern books, however, in the form of the extremely rich & expensive pattern, 1112. This could well have been made just for the Prince, & no pieces have yet been discovered'.
In Leonard Whiter's book, this design in the old Spode pattern book was illustrated in a black & white photograph as number 156 & described as 'gold on a red ground'.
However, when Robert Copeland published his book, 'Spode & Copeland Marks & other relevant intelligence' in 1993 a photograph of a part tea service in pattern 1112 is included stating, 'c1806 incorporating the badge of the Prince of Wales'.
No further information is supplied & I don't know if the main pieces of this service bear the special red printed Prince of Wales feathers mark on their bases which denotes bone china designed & made for the sole use of the Prince of Wales. You can see this special mark on my Spode patterns 1168, 1185 & 1233 (illustrated). These marks are very rare.
The milky coffee coloured enamel bands around the rims of the cup & saucer also appear in Spode's pattern number 1396 (illustrated). It is a sophisticated colour with a metallic sheen which is no-where-near as patchy as it appears in these photographs. I suspect it is perhaps a type of lustre.
Hopefully this Spode pattern 1112 tea ware photographed in Robert Copeland's book is still in the Spode Museum Trust Collection - but at the moment I don't know.
Many items that appeared in the Spode Museum were actually privately owned by the Copeland family & have since been sold. The Copeland China Collection was sold by Bonham's auction house on 24th July 2013 at Trellissick House, Cornwall. Much of the remaining Spode Museum Trust Collection has been put into storage and is currently waiting for a suitable space in which to display it.
This space is being developed at the Spode pottery manufacturing site in Stoke-on-Trent where currently a smattering of Spode's grand past can be viewed. It deserves a Museum similar in scale & importance to the one at nearby Wedgwood which was always their main competitor & Josiah Spode II surpassed in so many respects.
This particular cup & saucer is in good condition, but you can still see specks inside the cup as you can on most early Spode bone china.
Neither pieces are marked to their bases which is to be expected for this period but there are old collector's labels. This is another acquisition from the recently sold Andrews Collection. Derek & Yvonne Andrews were very keen Spode collectors & built up an impressive collection of early Spode ceramics.