Pattern 343 Spode Bone China bute shape Trio. This design is hand-painted with floral sprays in charcoal enamel together with gilt band & lines. It was introduced by Josiah Spode II c1802.
The following year a couple of very similar designs were introduced by Josiah Spode II (patterns 473 & 500); instead of being hand-painted they were printed by a new method called 'bat printing' & the two different forms of decoration can be mistaken without studying them closely. Obviously it would have been quicker to produce the bat printed tea wares & would have required less artistic abilities from the decorators.
The cans are 2.5 inches or 6.5 cms tall and the tea cups are 2 3/8th inches or 6 cms tall. The cans measure 2.5 inches or 6.5 cms in diameter and the cups are 3.25 inches or 8.2 cms not including their handles. The saucers are 5.5 inches or 14 cms in diameter.
The kinked handle shape is decorated with Spode II's distinctive gilt pattern
Ops, the gilder has accidentally added another broken line above the flower spray on this coffee can & there is another spot of stray gold near the base of the can's handle.
Each piece is unique because they were hand decorated & just imagine how devastating it would have been if the decorator's eye-sight started to deteriorate with age or ill-health. There was no NHS prescription glasses & if you didn't work you didn't eat. If you had been a 'good worker' you could only hope that your employer (if he was reasonable) would find you another job, probably it would require less skill & consequently you would receive less pay but still something was better than nothing.
Not bad condition for over 200+ years old.
Just a spot of blue cobalt in the base of the can
There are no marks on any of the bases of this special Spode Trio which is completely as you would expect to find them.