Maker : Josiah Spode
Period: George III/Regency
This gorgeous Spode tea and coffee trio from around 1809 has one of the finest and most imaginative Georgian ‘Japan’ or ‘Imari’ patterns we have encountered. The pattern, 1559, has been described elsewhere as ‘tobacco leaf’ but that is wrong, as the shape of the leaves bears no resemblance to the tobacco plant. Instead, a wide array of plants is depicted, often in Imari colours. Perhaps the most exotic and arresting is what appears to be a segmented cross-section of a citrus fruit.
The trio is unmarked except for the pattern number, 1559, painted in small script on the bases. Spode introduced the pattern in 1809. The handles of the teacup and coffee can are of typical Spode shape.
Condition Perfect, apart from minor gilt loss on the rim edge of the teacup and a few tiny spots or rubbed gilt on its handle.
Teacup height: 5.8 cm; diameter: 8.3 cm; width, with handle: 10 cm
Coffee can height: 6.6 cm; diameter: 6.6 cm; width, with handle: 8 cm
Saucer diameter: 13.7 cm
Net weight: 289 g
Medium: Bone china (porcelain)
Origin: Stoke-on-Trent, England
For background on the factory, see Spode and Copeland in Makers & Artists
