Pattern 500 Spode bone china Old Oval Sugar Box introduced by Josiah Spode II c1803. This was bat printed with floral sprigs & sprays much the same as their earlier pattern 473 had been.
Pattern 500 is described as 'slight black sprigs with gold edge' in the book 'Spode Transfer Printed Ware 1784-1833' by David Drakard & Paul Holdway whereas pattern 473 is described as 'intense black sprigs with band & line gilding'. This example appears to be more akin to Spode's pattern 473 but it is marked to its base with the number '500' in red enamel.
The main floral spray on the body of the sugar box is P128 (is this a passion flower?) & the print on this side of the lid is from the P101 series (pansy?). Pattern 501 is much the same only it includes insects.
All these Spode prints are illustrated & recorded in the excellent book 'Spode Transfer Printed Ware 1784-1833' mentioned above.
The gilt decoration is in good condition considering its age. The smaller prints on the body & lid are from the P102 range (a pear, carnation & small berries).
The main spray on this side is recorded as P127-2, unfortunately it has a surface scrape through it and the print on the lid is from the P101 series again.
Inside is nice and clean & there doesn't seem to be too many specks of kiln dust
The base is typical of early Spode bone china. It has an impressed couple of marks which were probably potter's marks and it has its pattern number '500' written in faint red enamel so I would suggest that this piece was made c1806 or slightly later when Spode started to mark their wares with red enamel rather than gilt for reasons of cost.
The Old Oval shape was replaced with the New Oval shape c1805 but the old shapes would have still been available to customers who requested it; perhaps this was a replacement piece for an earlier service and the Sugar Box had been damaged.
Pattern 500 is one of 11 different pattern numbers presently known to be either made for the Prince of Wales and/or marked with the special Prince of Wales backstamp indicating services made for the Prince of Wales following his visit to Spode II's factory in 1806.
The other numbers are Pattern 1112 (Prince of Wales feathers motif incorporated into the actual design but not known to be marked with the special backstamp), Pattern 1122 (red enamel Greek figures & gilt border), 1168 (red, blue & gilt Imari style), 1182 (polychrome floral with blue wicker weave border), 1185 (red bamboo & elaborate border), 1221 (gold lustre), 1224 (mid blue flower garlands), 1233 (pink floral with blue wicker weave border), 1406 (mid blue border & square framed & painted landscape) & lastly a design which was not numbered in the Spode Pattern Books but was very similar to pattern 1233 but instead of pink flowers it had blue ones & the same border.
A pattern 500 Spode bone china Bute shape Tea Bowl decorated with bat print P107 'slight black sprigs with gold edge'. This item seems to conform with the description given in David Drakard & Paul Holdway's book, 'Spode Transfer Printed Ware 1784-1833.
This pretty little bat print comes from the P101 bat print series
This sprig of three berries is from the P102 bat print series
This pear is also from the P102 bat print series
A rose, also from the P102 bat print series
This early piece of Spode bone china produced c1803 has no manufacturer's marks to its base.