Whenever I set the table with my Spode plates, I enjoy the process of deciding which patterns to use. I purposely bought plates in lots of different patterns, so I could mix and match them depending on the occasion (and the color of the tablecloth).
But as much as I love playing with the different patterns, I noticed recently that I tend to gravitate towards two patterns the most: the Lucano pattern and the Milkmaid.
I love the deep blues of the milkmaid pattern, and there's just something so peaceful about the scene. (Which is funny, because from what I've heard, milking a cow isn't usually very peaceful.) As I look at it, I can almost hear the birds singing in those faraway trees and hear the distant bleating of those three small sheep in on the hill in the background.
It struck me recently that I hadn't ever thought about the history of this lovely pattern, and when I looked it up in my reference books, there wasn't much there. My books gave the date of when the pattern was first introduced as 1814, which is quite early. It was made before the Geranium, Lucano, and Blue Italian patterns, but after the Caramanian and Tiber patterns. (And perhaps the Gothic Castle pattern --it may have been the first one produced, but I will have to do some more research before I state that with any authority.)
The one interesting tidbit I found about the Milkmaid pattern, is that it is the first pattern Spode produced which had an "obviously English atmosphere."* The previous patterns featured scenes from Asia Minor and Italy, but this scene is undeniably English. The subject of the scene, the attire of the milkmaid herself, the pastoral setting, all of it points to England. I haven't found any record of Spode's motivation for producing such a thoroughly English piece in a time when exotic places and classical ruins were popular, but I am glad he did!
*Williams, Sydney B. Antique Blue and White Spode London, Omega Books: 1987 p.180
