Pattern 488 Spode bone china small plate; this popular design is known as 'Dolls House' and Josiah Spode II introduced this c1803.  It was a design that several different ceramic manufacturers produced with variations & the design origins were Oriental Export porcelain, either Chinese or Japanese.  
Many British ceramic manufacturers of this time were simply trying to reproduce these Oriental porcelains which were becoming scarce because of high Government Import Taxes.  (Following the American War of Independence the British Government was much poorer & the Napoleonic Wars also broke out in 1803 so taxes were raised considerably on all manner of things including ceramics & tea imports).
Lowestoft produced a design which is known as 'Dolls House' but it was produced c1785-1795 and looks rather different to this one above & more like the originals.  The closest variation to Spode's design was pattern number 1084 by New Hall porcelain factory.  The only difference (besides the type of porcelain) was that New Hall's little house had a roof which was red on the left-hand side rather than blue.  Ridgway's version was much the same as New Hall's and their tea cups have a double kink in their handles.  Machin's versions (I think there were 2) were either orangey/red & blue and without the house or with the house and including green & turquoise enamels in their pattern number 222. 
This plate is marked to its base with both its pattern number and a decorator's mark in iron-red enamel.
Back to Top