Period: Regency
Maker: Josiah Spode
This charming brown-glazed Spode teapot skilfully resembles a sycamore tree. The shape of the body imitates the tree trunk and is very tactile. It is moulded with sycamore twigs, leaves and berries. The lid handle is a ceramic twisted twig, and the handle is like a gnarled branch. There are further tree ‘knots’ scattered around the body, spout and handle.
The base has the printed SPODE mark used on earthenware from around 1810 until the end of the Spode period in 1833. There is also a label from the estate sale of a Spode collector.
The teapot is shown in Plate 122 of Leonard Whiter’s book Spode: A History of the Family, Factory and Wares from 1733 to 1833. It is also Plate 177 on page 310 of British Teapots and Tea Drinking by Robin Emmerson.
Condition: There are some chips to the tip of the spout, as so often happens with old teapots. Otherwise, condition is excellent.
Height: 11 cm; Length, from end of handle to tip of spout: 18.4 cm
Net weight: 461g
Medium: Brown-glazed earthenware
Origin: Stoke-on-Trent, England
For background on the Spode factory, see Spode and Copeland in Makers & Artists
