72 
House & Garden 
A spode plate and cup 
and saucers w i't h 
white center and gold 
edges decorated with 
a flowered pattern 
SPODE PORCELAIN AND POTTERY 
Collectors Often Find Difficulty in Determining the Authenticity 
of Pieces in This Phase of Ceramics 
A. T. WOLFE 
T HE amateur collector who may have 
clearly enough in mind the points of 
Derby, Bow, Chelsea, and Leeds, 
will often find himself conscious of a little 
vagueness when it comes to Spode. For 
Spode has not those very salient outward 
characteristics that impress themselves upon 
the memory. In the history of ceramics it 
is rather like a mirror, faithfully reflecting 
the style of contempo¬ 
rary potters, but having 
no conspicuous style of its 
own. The fame of the 
great house stands firmly 
upon the basic improve¬ 
ments that its members 
wrought upon the fabric, 
and in the actual manu¬ 
facture of earthenware 
and china, which became 
standardized through Eu¬ 
rope and America and 
remains practically unal¬ 
tered today. The list of 
great inventive potters 
closes with the name of 
Josiah Spode. 
Old Spode pottery 
Plate of Oriental 
inspiration, with 
enameled flower 
and blue border 
A modern Spode 
plate with pink 
border and flower 
decorations in soft, 
mellow colorings 
The first Josiah Spode began his career in 
1749 as a hired workman in the Whieldon 
factory, which was then a range of low 
thatched buildings at Fenton, with Wedg¬ 
wood for managing partner. His next em¬ 
ployer was Banks, at Stoke-on-Trent, 
where the white stoneware was being made 
and cream color “scratched"’ and painted 
in blue. In 1770 Banks retired and his 
works were taken over by 
Spode, who now began to 
put into practice as a 
master all he had learnt 
as a workman, adding to 
each branch notable im¬ 
provements of his own. 
Printing in black or 
white ware was one of his 
first experiments; this 
was done by transferring 
the design and then filling 
it in by hand with black 
enamel. Specimens of this 
black printing are now 
rare, and though not beau¬ 
tiful in themselves are 
highly prized by collectors 
(Below) A modern Copeland copy 
of a Spode dessert service in apple 
green. Trellis and flower design 
Modern copy of an old 
Spode plate with decora¬ 
tions on a gray-blue ground 
(Below) A Spode dessert plate, 
basket and stand with a marbled 
ground and enameled decorations 
