Pattern 1869 Spode bone china Large Saucer Dish measuring 7.25 inches or 18.5 cms in diameter decorated in a design known as 'Bowpot'. This pattern was introduced at Spode c1812.
This is another example of an 18th century Chinese original design copied by Spode & they reproduced it in several different colour ways. This particular one is printed in iron red enamel with the addition of gilt highlights.
There were always two Saucer Dishes per Tea Service; one was around 8 inches in diameter and the other one was a bit smaller, like this one. They were used by the hostess to offer tasty, sweet morsels to her guests to accompany their tea.
Unfortunately red enamel on Spode's ceramics nearly always shows scratch mark wear because it had to be fired at a lower temperature in the kilns otherwise it would spoil & blacken, so it was not as robust as other enamel colours of this period.
Referring to my copy of David Drakard & Paul Holdway's book, 'Spode Transfer Printed Ware 1784-1833' which provides a catalogue of Pluck & Dust printed patterns & their date of introduction at the Spode factory, I am surprised to not be able to find this particular design. It appears to be printed in iron red enamel & looks to be an ideal candidate for this particular printing process. Furthermore it is marked to its base with the red printed 'Spode' backstamp which I associate with Pluck & Dust printed wares.
Marked to its base with a red printed 'Spode' (lower case) Pluck & Dust backstamp together with a hand painted pattern number '1869' in red enamel. This Spode dish dates to c1812.
The Pluck & Dust printing method was developed at Spode in an effort to contain decorating costs. It was first used c1806 & only lasted about 10 years and because it was used for printing designs mainly in red enamel, which is prone to damage, not many pieces have survived intact. Some of the designs have the addition of polychrome enamels but most are simply iron red with gilt or in some cases just iron red enamel on its own. They did produce some Pluck & Dust designs printed in black with a green wash of colour, also blue & a dark brown.
There is an illustration (black & white) of Spode's pattern 2954 'Bowpot' printed in Ultramarine, enamelled in iron red with gilded tracing on the blue in Robert Copeland's book, 'Spode's Willow Pattern & other designs after the Chinese' in my 1990 edition pl.17