Spode's Milkmaid Pattern

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

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

Tea for One: The Inadvertant Revival of a Historic Tradition

These are strange times we live in. As I write this, I have just finished up a day of "working from home", which, as you might imagine, is quite a strange thing for a teacher. I have been so thankful for the support of my school's leadership who have shown great ingenuity and commitment as they have worked out the best way to handle the current school closures in our state.

In all this strangeness, one thing I have noticed is that all the upheaval at the societal level has caused me to have a greater appreciation for the little things in my daily life that I can still enjoy. Of course, one of them is the opportunity to enjoy a nice cup of tea in a cozy chair. Add a blanket, some relaxing music, my favorite fountain pen, and a journal, and life could hardly be any better! As it is, I don't strictly have to enjoy tea time alone, since I live with my parents, but when I'm writing, solitude is somewhat necessary.

My family has learned that when they see me with a tea tray, brewing a pot of tea and filling my tiny cream jug, they're not likely to see me for a couple hours at least. (Except if I come out to refill my teapot.) My mother has a Royal Albert "tea for one" set in the Old Country Roses pattern that I've been using. It's very lovely, and holds just the right amount of tea for a good hour of writing. I have enjoyed using it, but the cup is a bit shallow, and the rim is very thick, which I have found oddly distracting.

Besides, lovely as it is, it just isn't Spode.

And so, collector that I am, I placed on my Amazon wish list several months ago a "tea for one" set in Blue Italian. I couldn't quite justify spending enough to buy it new, but I figured I would set aside some money for it eventually.

March arrived, and my dad began to make cryptic comments about my birthday present. As the month wore on and my birthday drew nearer, he began to impatiently wonder when it would arrive, saying it had gotten stuck in customs or something because it was shipping from England. (This was a big tip-off to me that it would be Spode.)

Finally, it became apparent that it was not going to arrive, having gotten stuck in New Jersey, of all places, until the time had expired and it would be sent back. --I still don't understand exactly what happened with it, but as my birthday came and went amidst social distancing and stay-at-home orders, I was able to at least be happy that my dad had thought to get me such a thoughtful present.
(He had told me on my birthday what he had ordered, since he couldn't actually give it to me then.)

Today as I prepared my lunch, I caught sight of a delivery man coming up our front steps. He rang and took my name in lieu of having me sign for the package (another adjustment due to virus precautions). It was addressed to my dad, but he had no idea what the package could be. When he opened it we found, to our great surprise and delight, the very item he had ordered! Somehow the shipping company had been able to spring it loose from customs before the deadline, and it had at last arrived.

I opened the distinctive blue Spode box, and there before my eyes was the very "tea for one" set I had been wanting!

-I tried to get the link to the set on Amazon or Spode.com, but neither website is carrying them at present. --My theory is that my dad got the very last one!

So now, I can put some home-backed scones on a Blue Italian bread and butter plate, fill my little teapot and shut myself in my room to write to my heart's content!

All this has gotten me thinking about the tradition of taking tea in the afternoon, and I realized this week that I have inadvertently begun to make a habit of it, although I take my tea quite a bit earlier than the traditional 5:00 in the afternoon when I'm at home. There is just something relaxing and refreshing about taking a few quiet minutes to have a tasty, aromatic cup of tea and a bite to eat, shutting out for a few moments all the clamor and drama of the world outside. It helps me to clear my mind and reenergize myself for the next task on my list.

I have been doing quite a bit of research on tea and its traditions, particularly in English culture, as part of a story I've been chipping away at the past several months. I hope to have a post up soon with a brief history of the traditional British afternoon tea. I'll put a link here when it is finished.

But for now, just remember that the greatest crises help us to appreciate the existence of the "ordinary". When the chaos passes, may we find ourselves looking back with gratitude on this time of hardship, in which we are forced to take time to savor the small delights life still affords.

Tips on Recognizing Old Spode

The newest addition to my small collection of Spode is what is probably a rimmed soup bowl in the Blue Italian pattern. 

It has a bit of a ridge around the edge, where the bowl and rim meet, which makes me wonder if it might actually be some sort of covered dish, similar to the muffin dish pictured in an earlier post. It is a bit shallow for a muffin dish, however, so my assessment thus far leans heavily in favor of a soup bowl. I suppose another option could be something like a lidded butter dish as well, although I haven't explored that possibility yet.

I had found this "mystery" bowl on eBay a while back, and there were several things about the listing that caught my eye and caused me to decide to bid on it. 

The first thing I noticed was that, the listing was for a "bowl", no other categories given. Those who know Spode usually include the type of bowl in the title. (e.g. "soup bowl", "ascot cereal bowl", "Pasta bowl", "Serving bowl", etc.)

Another thing about the listing that tipped me off was the fact that the pattern was misnamed. This was especially significant since Blue Italian is by far the most common of the Spode patterns. In this case, instead of Blue Italian, the seller merely described the pattern as "castle". (There is, by the way, a Spode pattern called "Gothic Castle", but  it bears no similarity to Blue Italian.)

When I looked at the pictures, the bowl had all the hallmarks of a piece of Old Spode, which are as follows:

1.The Back Mark

According to my amateur research (meaning I looked it up in my Spode resource books), this plain, impressed marking was used prior to 1833, which is when the Copeland period began. 

The Spode period lasted from 1764 to 1833, after which time "Copeland" appeared on the back markings alongside or sometimes instead of the Spode name. Markings from the Spode period also tend to be impressed, rather than transfer printed. (Although I have read that both Spode and Copeland period marks could be found either impressed, stamped, or transfer printed.)
Another indication that this is from a period prior to 1833 is the fact that the country of origin is not included in the marking. In 1833, legislation was passed in the United States that required all marked goods imported into the country to be marked with their country of origin. Thus, Spode pieces from 1833 on typically include the word "England" as part of their back marking.

The number, I believe, is a workman's mark. It was common during the Spode period for workers to use a number, letter, or other marking to signify that they were the workman who made a particular piece. This ensured that they would be paid for their work, since pay was based on how many items they completed.

2. The Feel: Thickness and Weight:

Another indication that the piece is old is the feel of the material itself. New Spode feels heavy and thick, like stoneware, while old Spode tends to feel thinner, more fragile, almost. It is a little lighter, and the plain white of the underside of the piece tends to be a bit less brilliant than new Spode, and perhaps even a little yellowy.

3. The Color: Faded, Lighter, or Slightly Different Hue.

Now, when I received this bowl, I was at first unsure that it could actually be old, because the glaze and the pattern were in such good condition. I thought perhaps it could be a reproduction, but when I compared the coloring with the brand-new Blue Italian cake stand I had just bought, as well as a Blue Italian cereal bowl, also brand new, the difference was striking. These two pieces are the exact same pattern, but their coloring is noticeably distinct:

While one is more purple, the other is a dusky hue, with almost a hint of yellow. The latter is consistent with another piece in my tiny collection, a soup tureen which dates from the Spode period as well.  The feel and look of both pieces being consistent, I became convinced that the finish was merely well-preserved. Also, upon further inspection, it does have some very light scratches in the glazing, just on the surface, consistent with use and age.

~ ~ ~ 

I always like to imagine where these old pieces of Spode have come from and what kind of "life" they have had before arriving on my doorstep. I believe this piece was either part of someone's collection, or else it is part of a lidded serving dish which was not needed very often. This would account for the well-preserved nature of the piece, particularly if there had been a lid, and it had not survived long and the base had been set aside. 

2020: When Your Old-Fashioned Dishes Suddenly Trend

Hello everyone!

As the new year dawned, I noticed that there was a lot of buzz over the "color of the year". If you search on that topic, the first thing that comes up is the Pantone color of the year, which this year is called "Classic Blue" and looks like this:

Which is striking and beautiful, and... blue! 

Now, this isn't quite Spode blue, but it is a little bit like it, and with a shade of blue being a staple color for the year, Spode dishes seem to be at least somewhat in fashion. I say this because stores like Home Goods and Marshalls and Tuesday Morning have had quite a few Spode dishes in stock this winter, which were not as prevalent last winter. So this may be a good time to stock up on new Spode! 

Photo from Spode.com

A Spode Christmas Table Part 2: Dessert

After Christmas dinner, we adjourned to the living room for presents, then the table was cleared and I began the delightful task of setting out the dessert things.

First was the trifle. For those who do not recognize this Christmas favorite, it is a delicious combination of pound cake, berries, and custard, topped with whipped cream. Yum, right?
 

It's pretty rich, so I decided to forego the cereal bowls we used at dinner and bring out these Spode Tower dessert bowls (I have also seen them called berry bowls). They look small, but surprisingly hold just the right amount of trifle for a post-Christmas-dinner belly.

Next, I made a cookie plate on my large round Willow platter, with a Botanical bowl in the middle. I have yet to identify what this particular bowl is called, it's larger than the cereal bowls, but smaller than the Melba bowl I mentioned in my last post. At any rate, it looks great with oranges in it, for those who were cookie-ed out.

I set Tower pattern bread and butter plates around, since trifle and cookies make for a soggy combination.

Last but not least, I set out the hot wassail (which for our family consists of apple juice with orange and lemon juice squeezed in, boiled with the rinds of the lemon and oranges along with some spices). My Blue Italian Liverpool Jug held a good amount of wassail, and with a Tower salad plate underneath to catch the drips, it was beautiful and functional!

I only had one Christmas mug, (the Victorian Christmas Series number 4: Christmas Shopping), so I added a Lucano mug (the tall one in the center) as well as one in the Gothic Castle pattern.

In all, it was a good spread, and an excellent excuse to use some more of my lovely dishes!

Styling a Christmas Table with Blue Spode

Merry Christmas, readers!!

One benefit to hosting Christmas dinner is the fun of setting the table. Since my mother's china clashes with our red Christmas tablecloth, I have taken to using my Spode dishes instead.

Even though my blue Spode is everyday-ware, its beauty and good quality make it versatile and "dressy" enough even for such a special occasion as Christmas dinner.

We had only four at our Christmas feast this year, so we had taken all the leaves out of the table. This made passing the food easier, but resulted in a very crowded-looking table.

 Here are some ideas for styling your Spode for Christmas dinner:

Plates: I like the look of layering the classic blue Spode with the Spode Christmas Tree pattern. (I only had one Christmas Tree plate, though, which is why I didn't choose that for our table today.)

We had these beautiful napkins with a poinsettia on one corner, which looked lovely on top of the plates. If I had been able to take more time with them, I would have done a fancier napkin fold, but this one was quick and easy and showed off the prettiest part of the napkins.

My Blue Italian cereal bowls were perfect for holding green salad, and once I added some crystal stemware and a Christmas cracker at each place, the table really began to look festive!

Note: my family does not drink, but we have some lovely wine glasses that are family heirlooms, which quite elegantly hold our water or sparkling cider. After all, what's the use of owning pretty glassware if it just sits on a shelf?

Serving Dishes and Utensils:

We have a somewhat unusual spread for Christmas, and finding serving dishes for each item was a challenge I enjoyed greatly.

I used a Lucano dinner plate instead of my large platter for the ham, since there were only four of us around the table this year.

The rolls ended up in a Blue Italian Melba bowl, lined with a rather capacious napkin, to keep the rolls hot for as long as possible.

The salad was in a glass bowl, but my Spode Blue Room Salad Servers made dishing up the salad easy and elegant!

Some years ago, we began having homemade macaroni and cheese instead of potatoes with our ham, and this year my mother's delicious "maccy cheese" looked lovely in my Blue Italian handled serving tray. --I was glad of the excuse to bring this out, since it was a birthday present last year, and I had not had a chance to use it yet.

We also had roasted vegetables in my Geranium Pasta bowl (which held quite a bit more than we expected!) and green beans in my lovely Camilla nut bowl. Croutons sat in a Fitzhugh dessert bowl.

On a whole, the blue of the Spode dishes was stunning against the red tablecloth, and with the addition of our Advent candle wreath centerpiece and the poinsettia napkins, the overall effect was both festive and Christmassy! 

 

I hope your Christmas dinner was as delicious as mine! Merry Christmas, fellow Spodeians! 

P.S. Details (with pictures!) of our Christmas dessert table setting to come!