Pattern 1920 Spode bone china Bute shape Coffee Can decorated with 'Swag Embossed' moulding around its top half together with a gilt flower sprig & band & line gilding. Inside there is an apricot coloured enamel & gilt border at its top rim. This design was introduced by Spode's decorator, Henry Daniel & his team, c1812.
Swag embossed introduction is dated to 'about 1813' in Leonard Whiter's book, 'Spode - A History of the Family, Factory & Wares from 1733 to 1833', but the pattern number suggests a slightly earlier date.
The gilt dots which normally appear down the handle of Spode's bone china of this period seem to be missing, either they have worn away or they were forgotten by the gilder. Surprisingly the gilt Dontil Edge or 'French Edge' as it was known at Spode, around the top rim of this can is not too worn.
Although this Spode Coffee Can is showing its age a bit, it is still a pretty example & serves to illustrate this particular Spode pattern which is not often seen.
You can see that Josiah Spode was still producing bone china with speckles in it c1812 but none-the-less he was proud of the quality achieved which in its consistency, translucency, lightness, whiteness & strength was quite remarkable & exceeded all other manufacturers in Britain during this period.
Spode's Swag Embossed moulding was a concentrated design which must have proved difficult to blend successfully with painted enamel decoration. The best examples limit further decoration to small sprigs of flowers, either hand painted or printed see pattern 1923 (illustrated), or applied enamel & gilt following the lines of the moulding itself see pattern 2533 (illustrated).
Here you can see the width of the apricot enamel & gilt border. There is also some damage which can be seen inside the can, possibly it is a stained crack which doesn't show on the outside.
There are no manufacturer's marks on the base of this Spode bone china Coffee Can but it is pattern 1920 dating to c1812.