Pattern 1588 Spode bone china Bute shape Tea Cup & Saucer decorated in a popular Imari design known as 'Finger & Thumb', this was introduced c1810. The 'Finger & Thumb' are under glaze cobalt blue enamel shapes (bottom left in this photograph), over decorated with gilt wavy lines. Worcester porcelain company also produced this pattern & their version is known as 'Wavy Worcester, Finger & Thumb'.
Spode had produced another version of this 'Finger & Thumb' pattern and on that one instead of wavy gilt lines they used a design which reminds me of a printed circuit board (the gilt lines were straight but kept changing direction by 90 degrees). This earlier Spode 'Finger & Thumb' design was pattern number 648 & was produced c1804. Coalport also produced this same pattern (Spode's 648) at about the same time.
You can see why it was a popular design. The exciting iron red enamel colour is balanced by the earthy green & the cobalt blue together with beautiful gilding adds importance & richness. The hand-painted design is so vibrant and full of energy, you can almost see the plants growing!
Josiah Spode II's porcelain is beautifully white & the cup is clean inside with just a tiny amount of wear to the gilding on the cup's top rim
Both pieces are marked on their bases with 'Spode' in script form together with the pattern number '1588' in iron red enamel. Although this pattern design dates to c1810 these pieces may have been made c1820 as this script form of marking is generally used around this date.
Popular designs were produced by the Spode factory for many years after their initial introduction, some were even being produced over 200 years later, I'm thinking of pattern 967 in particular.