A Spode bone china Bute shape Coffee Can in a delightful design with a row of colourful, hand-painted 'flower pots' together with bands of gilding. This pattern was introduced by Josiah Spode II c1802. The Spode bone china Bute shape was introduced c1800 and lasted until around 1818 when it had been replaced by Spode's coffee cups of various shapes.
The handle is kinked as usual & carries the Josiah Spode II distinctive gilding pattern down its length.
The handle is slightly larger but nicely kinked which suggests an early Spode piece.
Josiah Spode II's bone china porcelain was very white which was excellent for displaying colourful decoration & rich gilding. It was also very strong, which helped with chip resistance & it was beautifully translucent making it a highly desirable product in Georgian Britain & elsewhere (Spode was already busy exporting his wares to America at this stage & global exports would increase significantly by 1827).
The expected spots & specks inside which are part & parcel of early Spode bone china.
There are no pattern numbers on the base of this Coffee Can as would be expected for an early piece of Spode bone china. You can see that there is an old collector's label for the Andrews Collection. Derek & Yvonne Andrews were keen collectors for over 30 years of early Spode porcelain.
You can also see a split to the ceramic on the underside of the top of the handle & this probably occurred during one of the many firing processes it would have undergone at the Stoke-on-Trent factory. Different enamel colours plus the gilding required different kiln temperatures & so this little coffee can would have gone in & out of their kilns 4 or 5 times whilst in the process of decoration.