Pattern 319 Spode bone china Bute shape Coffee Can produced by Josiah Spode II c1802. It is hand-painted with iron-red & black enamels together with gilt; the design appears to include plumes of ostrich feathers (like a flamboyant Regency head-dress) & floral swags. This must have proved to be a popular design because although it was early years for Spode bone china production, several pieces are held in various museums (please see below for details).
When Josiah Spode II took over the Stoke manufacturing business in 1797 following his father's death he had the immense benefit of knowing his wealthy customers' tastes due to his previous 20 years experience retailing & wholesaling Spode ceramics in their London showrooms. Plus he had trained & attained the position of Master Potter in his father's factory prior to his London sales job.
From around 1784 his father, Spode I had developed a new technique for underglaze transfer printing in blue enamel & the Spode brand was well known for its 'Willow' patterns in the Chinoiserie style printed on earthenware. Josiah Spode II would go on to be known as the manufacturer of the best English bone china porcelain of his era.
The black enamel on this side has been worn away, perhaps the owner always held the can with their right hand & supported it with an out-stretched index finger.
Examples of this early Spode bone china pattern 319 can be seen in the Spode Museum, at Spode Works, Stoke-on-Trent (heart shaped dish) here: http://www.spodemuseumtrust.org/history-of-spode.html & also a (Spode Sugar Box) can be seen at the Spode Exhibition Online here: http://www.spodeceramics.com/pottery/ceramics/development-bone-china & if you visit the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery at Stoke-on-Trent you can see the actual Spode Sugar Box; here are their details: http://www.stokemuseums.org.uk/pmag/ they have many beautiful items in their collections but sadly they are not available to view online.
Another example is held by the National Trust at Wimpole Hall, Cambridgeshire although their description of a Spode pattern 319 Lady Stafford shape Ice Pail of c1808 is strange to say the least, see it here: http://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/205169
I have a pair of Spode Dinner Plates in this pattern, a Square Dish, a Slop Bowl & a Sugar Box missing its lid, (if anyone has a matching lid I would be interested).
This is one of a pair of pattern 319 Spode bone china Dinner Plates. It measures just under 24cms or just over 9.25 inches in diameter which would be absolutely correct for c1802.
It is interesting to note that the size of British dinner plates increased with our wealth, health & stature. Before 1800 a dinner plate would measure 23 cms or 9 inches & by 1805 a British dinner plate would be 25 cms or 9.75 inches and by 1825 it had increased to 26 cms or 10.25 inches in diameter.
Both of these dinner plates are marked to their bases with a gilt pattern number '319'. Also note that the shape is not indented which is another indication of early bone china design during this period of c1802.
This pattern 319 Spode bone china Square Dish measures 8 inches or just over 20 cms in diameter & it is indented in shape.
Can you imagine how impressive a whole Dinner Service in this pattern would have appeared in a grand house of the period lit only by candlelight & heat provided by an open fire? The combination of iron-red & black enamels, white porcelain & rich gold would look magnificent on a mahogany dining table together with sparkling cut glass & shimmering silk furnishings & the guests themselves wearing richly embroidered clothes, jewels, silks & feathers would have added to this delightfully impressive scene.
This square dish does not appear to be marked to its base.
Pattern 319 Spode bone china Bute shape Slop Bowl c1802. It measures just over 6 inches or 15.3 cms in diameter at its top rim and stands about 3 inches high or 7.6 cms.
A slop bowl was always included in a Tea/Coffee Service and its purpose was for the hostess to test the strength of the tea in the pot & also for guests to empty any unconsumed liquids into it before going on to requesting a fresh cup.
This lovely Spode slop bowl is in good condition given its age. These bowls make very decorative & useful pieces to have around a home & can be used for all manner of different purposes.
Some wear is showing to the interior together with the inevitable kiln dust spots which are part & parcel of early Spode bone china porcelain c1802.
This Spode Slop Bowl is boldly marked to its base with its pattern number '319' written in gilt, obviously this is an early piece of bone china porcelain.
This is a lovely Spode pattern 319 Old Oval shape Sugar Box which is sadly missing its lid. This Spode Sugar Box measures 5.5 inches or 14 cms in length and about 3.25 inches or just over 8 cms in height. It is also in good condition. Spode's Old Oval shape was replaced in 1805 by the new Oval Shape.
Here you can see specks of kiln dust in the porcelain but look at that gilding - what a wow! I believe Spode II always used 22 carat gold & goodness me, it shows.
During the 18th century, sugar became enormously popular & average consumption in Britain rose from four pounds per head in 1700 to eighteen pounds in 1800. Four-fifths of the sugar consumed came from the British and French colonies in the West Indies. The heightened demand and production of sugar came about, to a large extent, due to a great change in the eating habits of many Europeans. For example, they began consuming jams, tea, coffee, cocoa, processed foods, and other sweet victuals in much greater quantities.
Planters responded to this increased demand by planting larger areas & by using better farming methods to increase production of sugar but still the price of sugar reached soaring heights, particularly during the Napoleonic War years of 1803-1815.
This Sugar Box base is typical of early Spode bone china. It has an impressed small 'SPODE' mark & '35' which would have been a potter's mark & it has dirty areas where it has sat in a saggar whilst in the kiln.
A saggar is a type of kiln furniture. It is a ceramic boxlike container used in the firing of pottery to enclose or protect ware being fired inside a kiln. Traditionally, saggars were made primarily from fireclay. Find out more here: