Spode Geranium

Last Monday, I was perusing the clearance section of one of my favorite outlets for new Spode, which happens to be called Tuesday Morning, and stumbled upon this beautiful dish.

I had seen it in the store before the quarantine, and had wanted to buy it, but it was $43 so I decided to wait until it went on clearance. (And I was so glad I had waited!) 

This particular pattern is one of my favorites, partially due to the lovely geometric border around the dishes. It is striking, and quite different than the borders on the other Spode patterns I have seen, so I decided to do some research and see if I could find out the history of the pattern. 

Here's what I found out. 

The Geranium pattern was first introduced in 1820. This fact is probably not new to anyone who has looked at the back-marking of a new piece Geranium patterned Spode, but what you might not have realized is that this pattern is, in fact, quite different from anything that Spode had produced up to that point. Before 1820, Spode produced may patterns, ranging from the Chinese "Willow" pattern and the vastly popular and prolific "Blue Italian",  to the more obscure "Caramanian" and "Tiber" patterns. 

From what I have been able to find, all the previous patterns have been scenic in nature. Even the Indian pattern of 1815 features  large, sprawling bush, set on a small patch of grass. The simplicity of the geranium sprig, and the clean, almost modern lines of the geometric border are strikingly different. In his book Antique Blue and White Spode, Sydney B. Williams agrees that this pattern "has an entirely contrasting appearance to all those which preceded it."*

Perhaps this is why it is one of the designs Spode has decided to manufacture again. To be honest, I have never found an old piece of Geranium, but I do have several pieces of new Spode Geranium in my collection.

Pictured above are my new purchase, which I must admit I don't know what to call... (If you happen to know what this dish is called, please leave a comment below!) my Pasta Bowl in the front, and then of course there are two spice jars. 

Interestingly, as I put all my Geranium pieces side-by-side, I noticed that they are not all the same. I knew that some Spode collections, like the Caramanian and Zoological collections, have different pictures on each plate, but I was startled to see that this pattern had two distinct types. 

My recent purchase as well as the "Mixed Herb" jar, feature the same basic geranium, but in much darker shades of blue. The Pasta Bowl and the "Rosemary" jar are so much lighter, I thought they were different flowers at first.

The borders also are different, although if you look closely, it is mostly a matter of scale: The darker two pieces have the same design elements, just smaller and closer together. In the lighter pieces, the shapes are stretched out, and not condensed like the others. 

From the back markings and some additional research, I think the most recent generation of Spode Geranium is the darker style, while the other is older, but not significantly. All the Geranium pieces in my collection are marked dishwasher and microwave safe, which means they are quite recent.  

*p. 182

Spode Reference Books

Over the past few months, I have made several additions to my small library of Spode research materials. I thought a quick overview might be helpful for any would-be Spode collectors out there.

Of course, I should start by mentioning my best go-to reference: Antique Blue and White Spode by Sydney B. Williams. Originally published in 1943, this helpful book features descriptions of the different Spode Blue patterns, along with interesting accounts of the history of each one. As you may have noticed, I reference this resource often. In addition to providing information, Williams gives a detailed chronological list of Spode markings, along with some pictures of some of the various Spode markings.



The next resource I found was a pamphlet called The Story of the Blue Room Collection, which is put out by Spode. In addition to some fascinating information about Spode history and the transfer process, there is a list of dated markings, which is particularly helpful for the budding collector.

I also ran across this Shire Album simply entitled Spode,  by Robert Copeland published in 1994. Again, this resource has lots of history, and some pictures, although in this case the photos are in black and white.

By far, the most impressive addition to my little research library in recent months has been the large and impressive Spode &Copeland by Steven Smith. This book is full of beautiful color illustrations, not only of the blue and white Spode pieces, but also many other colorful and beautiful pieces, like this hand painted plate featuring a stork. (Also, I must admit that I'm quite taken with the non-blue-and-white Maritime England Series)

So far the best and most useful part of this book for me has been the marking information towards the back. There is a pictorial markings list, as well as an explanation of the markings and what year different letter markings were used. This has allowed me to see not only what age range a piece was made during, but even to identify what year a specific item was made in. (Which is super helpful when trying to decide if an item is worth adding to my tiny Spode collection.)


And because I love old books, there is The Vernay Collector's Series: Old English Potteries and Porcelains. This is not a Spode book per se, but it does have a short chapter on Spode.

Lastly, I happened upon a little volume by Charles Dickens, of all people, entitled A Plated Article. Basically, Dickens is bored in a tiny village, where in his boredom, he picks up a Spode plate, which in true Dickensian style, begins speaking to him about how it was made and why he should be careful not to break it. It made for a humorous and charming read.

So, those are my Spode books. If you have suggestions for books I should add to my little research library, leave a comment!

Blue Italian

I was at Home Goods this week when, to my surprise, I looked up and was greeted by the happy sight of a Spode Blue Italian dinner plate! Strangely enough, there were no other Spode pieces there, but it was encouraging because new Spode has been strangely absent from stores around me lately. Perhaps more will follow!

Running across the Blue Italian pattern reminded me that I had not actually done much research on it yet, so I pulled my copy of Antique Blue and White Spode by Sydney B. Williams and opened to the chapter called “The Italian Influence”. I found out that, while the other Spode patterns featuring scenes from Italy were all based upon engravings from Merigot’s Views of Rome and its Vicinity, the engraving upon which the Blue Italian pattern was based had not yet been discovered at the time of Williams’ writing in 1943 or, presumably, at the time my 1987 edition was printed.

I did some further research, and found a fascinating post on the ever-informative Spode History blog, which confirmed that the source of the Blue Italian pattern is yet to be identified for sure, but there have been some possible steps forward. According to fellow Spode blogger Pam Woolliscroft, an architectural survey showed that the scene could be a composite of sketches, perhaps taken from a painting. Woolliscroft also mentioned that the Spode Museum has purchased a pen and ink drawing which could be the original, and that there is also a painting which is remarkably similar. Which, if either, is the basis for the Blue Italian pattern is yet to be discovered. Read more here.   

According to the Spode website, the Blue Italian pattern has been in production since 1816. And I must admit that as much as I love the antique dishes, it is wonderful to be able to put the newer Spode pieces in the dishwasher after a big gathering such as Christmas or Thanksgiving when there has been a houseful to feed. The new dishes are also microwave safe, which is great for reheating leftovers after the guests have left. 

There are arguments for both the new and the antique, but if the new Spode dishes appeal to you, you might stop by Home Goods for a Blue Italian dinner plate. 

A Spode by Any Other Name

Spode dishes have undergone several phases of ownership over the years, and consequently, the markings on Spode pieces can be a bit confusing to the beginning collector. Perhaps you can relate to my experience the moment I picked up a dish with what I recognized as a classic Spode pattern, only to confusedly think, “Copeland?... Who’s Copeland?... This is a Spode dish!” If so, this post is for you!

Here it is in a nutshell: 

1776-1833 The earliest pieces may not have any markings at all, or could even be marked just with an x inside a circle. Early Spode often has just the Spode name impressed into the pottery, and could also have the Spode name painted on (with varying styles or fonts). 

1833-1847 Next is the “Garrett & Copeland” era, when the company was bought by joint owners (hence the name). Copeland bought the company outright in 1846, ushering in the next phase of markings.

1847-1966 The markings from this period sometimes feature just the Copeland name, but markings from throughout the whole Garret/Copeland eras often include the Spode name, as on the demitasse cup below, or even the phrase “Late Spode”. 

 1966-Present This era saw the return of the traditional Spode name. Early in this period, markings tend to have just the name printed on in a calligraphy-type font. Newer pieces feature helpful words like “dishwasher safe”, and often a short history of the pattern in the same blue ink as the pattern on the front, specifying the original date of production for that particular pattern. 

For a more specific, in-depth history of Spode and its owners, see the Spode Museum Trust site (link here), and for a good visual timeline of Spode History, check out Spode History here on Blogspot.