This is a stunning tea service consisting of an octagonal teapot on a stand, six teacups, twelve saucers, a milk jug, a lidded sucrier, a slop bowl and a cake plate. This service was made by Josiah Spode between 1821 and 1825. The whole set is in undamaged condition except one tiny chip, which is extremely rare.
Spode was the great pioneer among the Georgian potters in England. Around the year 1800 he perfected the bone china recipe that has been used by British potters ever since, and he was also the leading potter behind the technique of transferware, making it possible for English potters to replace the Chinese export china, which had come to an end around that time, with their own designs. This was fundamental to a thriving industry that would last for about 150 years and provide half the world with their tableware. Spode porcelain is regarded as one of the highest quality porcelains around; for a soft-paste porcelain it is surprisingly hard and fine, and has a wonderful bright white colour.
This set was potted in the typical super-white, hard porcelain that Spode was famous for. The teapot and stand, sucrier and milk jug are in the Octagon shape that Spode brought out during the Regency period, and they were made of "Felspar" porcelain, which was a new recipe that Spode brought out in 1821 - Felspar porcelain is a little glassier and stronger than the normal bone china and doesn't chip as easily. The teacups and saucers are in the London shape with its iconic square handle, and they were made from very light bone china. All items were decorated in a very restrained manner with a simple cobalt blue band, painted with delicate gilt sprigs. This makes the service incredibly sophisticated and a true example of the neo-Classical Regency style.
The teapot, stand and slop bowl are marked with a puce Spode Felspar Porcelain mark; the stand is also marked in a red hand written SPODE mark. All items carry the pattern number 2721.
CONDITION REPORT All items are in undamaged condition except some very light rubbing to some of the rims, as visible in the pictures, and one small chip to the rim of one teacup. There is a small firing crack to the handle of the milk jug, which is common to this model, does not impact its usability and can be clearly seen in the picture. There is no damage anywhere, and no further wear other than the slight rubbing mentioned.
Antique British porcelain is never perfect. Kilns were fired on coal in the 1800s, and this meant that china from that period can have some firing specks from flying particles. British makers were also known for their experimentation, and sometimes this resulted in technically imperfect results. Due to the shrinkage in the kiln, items can have small firing lines or develop crazing over time, which should not be seen as damage but as an imperfection of the maker's recipes, probably unknown at the time of making. Items have often been used for many years and can have normal signs of wear, and gilt can have signs of slight disintegration even if never handled. I will reflect any damage, repairs, obvious stress marks, crazing or heavy wear in the item description but some minor scratches, nicks, stains and gilt disintegration can be normal for vintage items and need to be taken into account.
There is widespread confusion on the internet about the difference between chips and nicks, or hairlines and cracks. I will reflect any damage as truthfully as I can, i.e. a nick is a tiny bit of damage smaller than 1mm and a chip is something you can easily see with the eye; a glazing line is a break in the glazing only; hairline is extremely tight and/or superficial and not picked up by the finger; and a crack is obvious both to the eye and the finger. Etcetera - I try to be as accurate as I can and please feel free to ask questions or request more detailed pictures!
DIMENSIONS: teapot stands 11cm (4 1/4") high and measures 24cm (9.5") from handle to spout; stand measures 19cm (7.5") diagonally; milk jug measures 14cm (5.5") from handle to mouth and stands 9cm (3/5") high; teacup 9cm (3.5") diameter and stands 5.5cm (2 1/4") high; saucer 13.5cm (5 1/4"); slop bowl 15.5cm (6 1/8"); cake plate 21cm (8 1/4") X 21cm (8 1/4"); sucrier 15cm (5 7/") X 12cm (4 3/4") wide and stands 9.5cm (3 3/4") high.
Spode tea service, Felspar Porcelain 1821-1825
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We always aim to have happy customers so if you have an issue with or questions about your item, please contact us and we will do anything we can to resolve the issue with you!
