This is a beautiful sucrier with cover made by Spode between 1811 and 1815. The sucrier is decorated in the famous Imari Tobacco Leaf pattern 967, which was first introduced by Spode in 1806.
This item has some repairs and is therefore sold As Found (A/F) at a greatly reduced price. It would still look wonderful to complement a service and is good for careful use.
Josiah Spode was the great pioneer among the Georgian potters in England. Around the year 1800 he perfected the bone china recipe that has been used by everyone ever since, and he was also the leading potter behind the technique of transferware, making it possible for English potters to replace the import of Chinese china that had come to an end around that time, with their own. This was fundamental to a thriving industry that would last for about 150 years and provide half the world with their tableware.
A sucrier was used to serve sugar and formed part of every tea service in the early 19th Century. This one has a wonderful Japanese-inspired Imari pattern of tobacco leaves, fences and other details. This is pattern number 967, one of Spode's most famous Imari patterns. The sucrier and cover are potted in very white bone china.
Confusingly, the sucrier is marked with the pattern number 1645. This seems to be a mistake as pattern 1645, launched in 1811, was a simpler version of 967. We all make mistakes! Other than the pattern number the sucrier is unmarked.
CONDITION REPORT The sucrier and cover have some extensive damage, however they can still be used for dry goods such as sugar. The finial of the cover has a staple repair. Both handles of the sucrier have been broken and were glued back, and there is a crack from impact down the rim of the sucrier. The vessel is entirely stable though so it is safe to use, but should never be submerged in water - just give it a light wipe to clean.
Antique British porcelain is never perfect. Kilns were fired on coal, and this meant that china from that period can have some firing specks from flying particles. British makers were also known for their experimentation, and sometimes this resulted in technically imperfect results. Due to the shrinkage in the kiln, items can have small firing lines or develop crazing over time, which should not be seen as damage but as an imperfection of the maker's recipes, probably unknown at the time of making. Items have often been used for many years and can have normal signs of wear, and gilt can have signs of slight disintegration even if never handled. I will reflect any damage, repairs, obvious stress marks, crazing or heavy wear in the item description but some minor scratches, nicks, stains and gilt disintegration can be normal for vintage items and need to be taken into account.
There is widespread confusion on the internet about the difference between chips and nicks, or hairlines and cracks. I will reflect any damage as truthfully as I can, i.e. a nick is a tiny bit of damage smaller than 1mm and a chip is something you can easily see with the eye; a glazing line is a break in the glazing only; hairline is extremely tight and/or superficial and not picked up by the finger; and a crack is obvious both to the eye and the finger. Etcetera - I try to be as accurate as I can and please feel free to ask questions or request more detailed pictures!
DIMENSIONS 12cm (4.75") high, 18cm (7") wide incl. handles and 10.5cm (4.15") deep.
Spode sucrier, Imari Tobacco Leaf pattern 967, 1811-1815 A/F
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We always aim to have happy customers so if you have an issue with or questions about your item, please contact us and we will do anything we can to resolve the issue with you!
