Pattern 498 Spode bone china Old Oval shape Teapot & Stand produced by Josiah Spode II c1803. It is all hand-painted & gilded in a rich & very ornate Oriental Imari style.
Japan had been closed to the Western World for many decades and only opened up to world trade in the Victorian era (c1854) so their designs together with Chinese ones which came to the UK via Chinese trade with the East India Trading Company in the 18th century & early years of the 19th century were of great interest to people.
For its age, this Spode Teapot & Stand are in great condition, with just some minor scratching to the Stand caused by the Teapot base moving around slightly on its Stand.
This is what the inside of a Spode bone china Teapot of c1803 should look like - note the domed strainer at the base of the spout. The underside of the Teapot lid is not broken, it is shaped to prevent the lid from falling off when the Teapot is used.
Early Spode bone china is usually marked to only the main pieces of the Tea/Coffee Service & in gilt. Later the use of iron red enamel was used for this purpose & marking became more common-place on more Spode items. This change happened following the visit to the factory site in 1806 by the Prince of Wales & Spode being honoured with the title, 'Potter & English Porcelain manufacturer to His Royal Highness'.
Here are the matching Spode bone china Old Oval shape Sugar Box & the larger of the two Large Saucer Dishes also known as Bread & Butter Plates. All pieces are marked to their bases with the Spode pattern number '498' in gilt.
Pattern 498 Spode Old Oval shape Sugar Box of c1803. All hand-painted & gilded in a Chinese or Japanese Imari design. It features a basket of flowers on a garden terrace & exotic birds.
Inside the Spode pattern 498 Old Oval Sugar Box looks clean & undamaged with just a few specks of kiln dust as would be expected on a piece of Spode bone china of c1803.
This is the matching Spode Old Oval shape Creamer in pattern 498 seen together with the two Bread & Butter Plates which traditionally came with a Tea/Coffee Service during this period. They are actually Large Saucer Dishes & not plates; one measures about 8.5 inches & the other about 7.25 inches in diameter. All pieces are marked to their bases with just the Spode pattern number '498' in gilt.
Pattern 498 Spode bone china Bute shape Slop Bowl. This is the only main piece of the Tea Service which is not marked to its base.
Here is the decoration on the opposite side to the fenced terrace view
Pattern 498 Spode bone china Bute shape Trio of c1803.
The saucer & coffee can are unmarked to their bases & the bute tea cup has a gilt 'ladder' motif. This was the personal mark of one of Spode's earliest porcelain gilders. These marks are pretty rare.
Pattern 498 Spode bone china Bute shape Coffee Can produced by Josiah Spode II c1803. It is all hand-painted & gilded in a rich & very ornate Oriental Imari style.
The usual Spode gilding down the kinked handle & with a stray smudge of gilt or enamel inside.
This hand-painted design would have required much more time & effort to decorate and so would have been much more expensive for customers to purchase.
The design features a flower vase on an Oriental garden terrace (possibly Chinese) which is fenced and exotic birds appear in border reserves
It was very common during this period to only mark the bases of the main pieces of a Tea/Coffee Service with the pattern number ie the Teapot, Teapot Stand, Sugar Box, Creamer & the pair of Bread & Butter Plates also known as Large Saucer Dishes. The pair of dishes were of different sizes, one approximately 8.5 inches & the other 7.25 inches in diameter.