Spode and Dogs

I saw this beautiful Art Deco greyhound in a private collection whilst in Scotland recently and was allowed to photograph it for use here. It was produced by Spode as part of the new Velamour range introduced in 1932.

Possibly designed by Eric Olsen (more about him on the O page of my Spode ABC), it is cast from a mould for which the original model was so exquisitely modelled that the greyhound's ribs are clearly detailed! Although not particularly famous for the modern style, Spode did Art Deco really well and figures and surface patterns were produced in high quality designs.

Velamour printed backstamp

Impressed K number backstamp

The stylised shapes in Velamour suited this simple creamy white matt glaze. The production of this range was interrupted by the Second World War (1939-1945) when restrictions were placed on pottery companies in terms of their production. After 1947, when Velamour came back into production the greyhound was one of the items which was discontinued. Pieces in the Velamour range were marked with a specific printed backstamp as can be seen in the illustration. If you look carefully you can sometimes find an impressed shape number beginning with a K. The large greyhound has shape number K448 also illustrated.

Catalogue page, 1930s

A small greyhound was produced curled in a sleeping position, which can be seen on the catalogue page, with shape number K449. This one is is also exquisite and fits in the palm of your hand.

Figures in the range were often derived from items which had been produced by the firm in the 19th century. They were using their archive of papers and pots to produce new designs to follow the latest trends. In the case of the Velamour greyhound first mentioned at the top of this blogpost, a pair of greyhounds in life-like style was the inspiration. In the 19th century pair one dog has its paws straight out in front and the other has its paws crossed. They're lovely.

I have seen these undecorated in beautiful Parian ware, which imitates marble, and also in earthenware painted in natural colours.

A page from an old catalogue for Velamour is also shown here, with some of the other attractive Art Deco animals, as well as the two greyhounds bottom right of the page.

A leaflet page from 1963 can be seen under V on my Spode ABC. More about Spode greyhounds can be found by clicking here.

Other dogs were produced in the 19th century for example bloodhounds in Parian ware. Also, in earthenware, painted in natural colours, was an 'Austrian Pug'. I used to have one of these standing in my office at Spode - 'mine' only had 3 legs so didn't go on formal display but I was rather fond of it!

Austrian Pug

Dogs feature in Parian groups too such as the group described as 'Dog, Hen and Chickens'.

Dog, Hen and Chickens

There are several surface patterns which feature dogs including, in the 20th century, patterns O2155 and O2156 of about 1938 with Scottie dogs and spaniels respectively.

Childs Mug c1858 showing cat and dog

Childs Mug c1858 showing dog

Also, in the Spode museum collection, there is a Victorian child's mug of about 1858 in lavender blue clay with a black print of a cat and a dog. Until 2022 I had no photo of a mug in this design. Now thanks to the wonders of Instagram one came up on my feed. I am really grateful to Joseph and Victoria Clark for the photographs of this charming mug below and for letting me publish them here. You can find more of their lovely things on Instagram @onebakerstreet or by clicking the caption in the blue mug photos.

Childs Mug c1858 showing handle

A quirky connection between Spode and dogs is that the artist Sam Spode (1798-1872) specialised in paintings of racehorses and greyhounds. He was the younger son of Samuel Spode in turn the younger son of Josiah Spode I, founder of the Spode company. By coincidence, after working as curator at the Spode museum I went on to work for Art UK - you can see some of the paintings by Sam Spode on their webpages here.

An even quirkier connection between Spode and dogs is if you Google 'Spode greyhound' you will find that not only are there paintings by Sam Spode, or attributed to him, but you will also discover that there are many show greyhounds today including the name Spode!

For information on Sam Spode the artist please go to my Sam Spode page - click/tap here.