A beautiful Spode earthenware Soup Plate, blue transfer printed with print P703 'Woodman'. This attractive Spode design is surprisingly uncommon. The original design was first published with an octagonal border composed of heart-shaped foliage on 25th October 1807 by the engraver Francis Eginton. A black & white image of this design is illustrated in the book 'Spode Transfer Printed Ware 1784-1833 by David Drakard & Paul Holdway on page 212 of my 2002 edition.
Spode's engravers copied the original central design but added the 'egg & dart' styled inner border together with the wide band of lush flowers & foliage & another simple 'zig zag' outer border. It is a very harmonious composition in every respect. The Woodman's wife has joined him at his place of work with their young child & a picnic lunch. He presumably took the beer barrel to work with his axe; some how I don't think this would meet current health & safety rules & regulations.
I have no idea what type of flowers these are, I would imagine they are common woodland ones such as primrose or anemones for example & the strap-like leaves could be Asplenium 'Scolopendrium', otherwise known as Hart's tongue fern which is such a lush & abundant semi-evergreen when growing in a shady, damp place.
In Leonard Whiter's book on Spode he mentions that Llewellynn Frederick William Jewitt (1816-1886) the Victorian author of
'The ceramic art of Great Britain', (from pre-historic times down to the present day : being a history of the ancient and modern pottery and porcelain works of the Kingdom, and of their productions of every class) published in 1878 dates the introduction of this pattern, the 'Woodman' to 1816, however I suspect this rare pattern was introduced a few years earlier than this date, between 1807 & 1816.
This Spode earthenware Soup Plate which is blue transfer decorated with the 'Woodman' print P703 is marked on its base with both an impressed 'SPODE' & a blue printed 'SPODE'. The potter has applied his impressed number & the decorator has also applied his identifying mark in cobalt blue enamel. There is also an old collector's label, this Soup Plate was once in the Coysh Collection. Notice there is no foot rim to this dish.
A W Coysh, known as Bill, was a schoolmaster with a science degree who wrote geographical textbooks for the University Tutorial Press, Cambridge. He also worked at the BBC as a producer and programme planner. His retirement hobby was writing about antiques and British Blue & White Pottery in particular. He wrote 'Blue & White Transfer Ware' in 1970, 'Blue-Printed Earthenware' in 1972 and 'British Art Pottery' in 1976. He was President of the Friends of Blue, pottery collector's club for many years & in 1982 he & Richard Henrywood, who is now the current FoB President, produced 'The Dictionary of Blue & White Printed Pottery 1780-1880'. This was followed in 1989 with Volume II. They were immensely popular as reference books & 25 editions were produced. I have several of his books in my reference library.