Pattern 2398 Spode bone china Dessert Plate decorated with 'Dolphin Embossed' moulded border, profuse gilding & a wonderful hand painted posy of English flowers. What a 'WOW', this is such a sensational plate & rare to boot! This pattern was introduced at Spode c1815.
Dolphin Embossed moulding appeared on several Spode patterns c1810 & from pattern number 1655 onwards. In the Spode Pattern Book it is illustrated in conjunction with the designs using swan finials & handles, see pattern 1660 (illustrated on this site). See also pattern 1875 (illustrated) which has hand painted lily flower centres combined with the dolphin border.
Although this form of moulded entwined dolphin decoration continued for 5 years until c1815 it never became popular and is consequently one of the rarest embossed patterns produced by Spode. This pattern number 2398 must be one of the last versions of this Dolphin Embossed range of designs.
Very little is known about Spode's or rather Henry Daniel's flower painters. They were not allowed to sign their work & their names were not entered in the Pattern Books. The practice seems to have been to enter the artist's name in the price fixing books but unfortunately they are missing for this early period & only become available in the archives from the c1840 era & onwards.
There is a 34 stanza Ode, 'Progress of Enamelling' written by one of Henry Daniel's decorators which is printed in full in Leonard Whiter's book, 'Spode'. Stanza 14 mentions the top three flower painter's names, Sherwin, Burgess and Hancock who were employed by Henry Daniel during this period. Quite possibly the centre floral spray on this plate was painted by one of these decorators.
There is some wear to the gilding on the inner border but I can easily overlook this small fault in such a beautiful & historic object.
Pattern 2398 Spode bone china Dessert Plate measuring 8-8.5 inches in diameter and marked very clearly to its base in red enamel with both 'SPODE' & its pattern number '2398'.