Pattern 1741 Spode bone china Double Indented shape Soup Plate decorated in a colourful Imari design known as 'Rock & Tree', this was introduced by Spode in 1811. This beautifully hand-painted pattern would have been a direct copy of an 18th century Oriental Export porcelain original. It would have arrived in the UK from China probably via the East India Trading Company but the original could be either Chinese or Japanese?
Customers who had purchased one of these Export porcelain services very often turned to Josiah Spode II for either extra or replacement pieces when items had been damaged & he was only too willing to provide his customers with this service. It wouldn't have been a cheap service to provide but it did mean that the business came direct to him and in turn if the design was attractive he made it one of his own productions.
This Spode bone china Soup Plate is decorated to its base exactly as the original Oriental Export piece would have been. Spode's customers wanted 'India China' & as it could no longer be imported economically because of UK Government taxation, Spode set out to make exactly what his customers desired.
This Soup Plate is marked on its base with 'Spode' in script form & the pattern number '1741' in iron red enamel. Although the pattern was introduced by Spode c1811, it was a very popular design and this particular plate was probably produced during the 1820's or as late as 1833 when the company changed ownership and became Copeland & Garrett, Late Spode.
This is a Spode Stone China Dinner Plate in the same pattern 1741. Spode's Stone China was priced between bone china, which was at the top of their range and creamware/earthenware (pottery) at the bottom of their range. Stone China was extremely hard wearing & practical, far more so than either their bone china or earthenware; in fact it was like nothing which had been experienced before; a really tough decorative ceramic. Spode's Stone China was introduced c1813.
It was given a bluish tone with the addition of cobalt stain in imitation of the later Chinese Export porcelain and invariably it was decorated with Oriental designs.
This Stone China Dinner Plate is decorated to its base with stylised floral sprays which is usual for this design. It has 'SPODE', its pattern number, '1741' & a decorator's mark in red enamel and you could be forgiven for thinking this was a bone china plate (absence of Spode Stone China blue printed seal mark) but it is not. I wonder if this was an early piece before Spode's Stone China got into full production because the decorator has treated its marking as if it was a bone china plate?