Spode very rare & early form of Bone China decorated in their 'Chantilly Sprig I' pattern. This is an 8 inch Dessert Plate hand-painted in cobalt blue enamel with a recognised Spode version of this popular design which originated from the French porcelain factory at Chantilly. If Spode's version had a pattern number it is not known but a piece of bone china in this pattern has been documented in the Spode Review (November 2014) by Trevor Kentish. His dish was marked with an impressed 'Stoke China' to its base rim and when submitted for analysis the result indicated 20-40% bone in its composition, so despite its opacity & previously being mistaken as pottery, it is in fact, bone china. The 'Stoke China' mark is very rare & also dates from late 18th century to probably no later than c1802.
There is an illustration in Leonard Whiter's book 'Spode a History of the Family, Factory & Wares from 1733 to 1833' (my 1978 edition) pl 226 of a Basket Stand in this pattern which is also discussed on page 139 of this book. It was thought not to be porcelain but rather an improved pearlware/pottery when this book was printed but as mentioned above that theory has now been proved otherwise.
The central carnation has been painted in a very stylised & neat manner together with the border sprigs.
Spode did produce another version of Chantilly Sprig at a later date which was printed in blue.
It is showing a little wear but that is hardly surprising after so many years & particularly on a functional piece of bone china porcelain.
I love the back of plates almost as much as the front & this one is a beauty! The Chantilly Sprig decoration has been continued on its base which is always a sign of quality; it has the double blue rings in the centre which mimic the Chinese Reign markings found on 18th century Chinese Export porcelain, plus an outer one for good measure.
This plate has two previous collector's labels; it was part of the Lowe Collection & the Geoffrey Fisk Collection. Someone has also helpfully written a note explaining where further information can be found regarding this plate (as mentioned above). The only thing missing is a Spode/Stoke mark, but perhaps the impressed letter 'B' at the four o'clock position might be another clue. This is so exciting, what could that 'B' stand for I wonder? Could it be BONE?
You can click on these photos & enlarge them for extra detail - I will leave you to ponder on this one.