Pattern 2255 Spode bone china porcelain Bute shape Coffee Can decorated in a beautiful design reminiscent of 18th century Meissen & Worcester pieces. This pattern was introduced at Spode c1815 and is another example of Josiah Spode II reintroducing highly esteemed & desirable styles from several decades previously.
His customers would have been extremely happy to consider that they could now purchase goods which not long ago only royalty and the most noble landed gentry could afford & what a little gem it is too!
The design is based on the Rococo fashion which came from Europe and the English Worcester porcelain factory made it their own c1765 with their 'Scale Blue' ground on which gilt reserves or panels similar in shape to those above (known as 'Mirror' shape) were decorated with either flowers or exotic birds. The invention of Scale Blue by Worcester was mainly to overcome the problems of how to provide an even ground colour in cobalt blue to set off the other decoration as it was a very difficult enamel colour to use during the 18th century.
By 1815 technical advances meant that Spode (or rather Henry Daniel & his decorators) did not have the same problems with applying even ground colours to his bone china & this design could be made to look much lighter & prettier with his pure white china & this pale lavender ground together with zingy, colourful floral sprays; I think it is so much nicer than ever Worcester could achieve.
Look at how beautiful that gilding is. Almost clean inside with just the usual one or two specks of kiln dust.
This Spode coffee can is marked to its base with both 'SPODE' & its pattern number '2255' in red enamel, by c1815 Spode's porcelain is more frequently marked.
His London shape Coffee Cups were introduced c1813 and instantly became very popular so much so that very few Spode Coffee Cans were produced from this date & had virtually disappeared completely by around 1818-1820. We are getting much closer to the end of production for Spode Coffee Cans - more's the pity.