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Dessert plates, bone china, pattern 2789 c1819 |
These bone china plates from Spode were once part of a large dessert service, made for use, not simply for display. In the early 19th century Spode dessert wares were particularly fine; produced in the most expensive, fashionable styles; and sold to the wealthiest of customers.**
Pattern 2789 was first recorded in about 1819. It has a border design of mainly cobalt blue and gold - a combination of 2 of the most expensive materials for decoration - with a touch of red. The centres are handpainted with a pair of botanical subjects. Every piece of the service would have had a different pairing of flowers making for an amazing sight when laid out together with all its matching serving pieces.
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Backstamp on the convolulus plate - note the form of the figure 8 in the pattern number 2789 |
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A volume of Curtis's Botanical Magazine 1780s |
It is still painstaking work but much quicker and much easier to share. A simple botanical subject on a Spode piece is fairly straightforward to find. You can see this in the example of the daffodil or, as Curtis describes it, 'Narcissus Major or Great Daffodil'. Here the Spode design of about 1808 is a direct copy of the magazine illustration of 1788.
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Curtis's Botanical Magazine, Vol 2 plate 51, printed and hand coloured 1788 |
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Spode dessert plate, bone china, pattern 1100 handpainted centre with gilded border c1808 |
It gets more difficult for me to identify the source of the flowers when the Spode designs are more stylised, rather than a true botanical subject, such as in pattern 2789 featured here; and also the fact that 2 unrelated flowers are put together on each piece.
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Dessert plate, pattern 2789, Tagetes and Bluebell |
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Curtis's Botanical Magazine Vol 5 plate 150, 1791 |
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Dessert plate, Tagetes and Bluebell (detail) |
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Dessert plate, pattern 2789, Convolvulus and probably Delphinium |
I also found the probable source for the Convolvulus described by Curtis as 'Convolvulus Nil or Azure Convolvulus'. I did not find its pair which I think is a Delphinium.
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Curtis's Botanical Magazine Vol 6 plate 188, 1792 |
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Dessert plate Convolvulus and Delphinium (?) (detail) |
Teawares were also produced in this pattern again with each piece having a pair of flower subjects. The flowers are as you would expect on the saucers but for the coffee cup and teacup the design is adapted so a flower appears on the outside of the cup - one on each side.
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L-R: Coffee cup, saucer and teacup, pattern 2789 |
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Saucer, pattern 2789 |
*With thanks to Jayo Emms Antiques England for the images of the 2 dessert plates which inspired the blogpost.
**For more about dessert wares from Spode on this blog please use the Search box/page and enter dessert.