Spode and Mount Everest

2013 marked 60 years since the ascent of Mount Everest by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay.

What better way to come down to earth than visit a famous pottery manufacturer? Which factory? Spode, of course.

On 16th October 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary (middle) with fellow mountaineer, George Lowe (left) was escorted around the Spode factory and showroom by Spencer Copeland (right) who coincidentally was also accomplished in demanding snowy sports participating in the scary Cresta Run several times as well as ski-jumping. The tissue print in Lowe's hand is for Italian pattern one of Spode's most famous transfer printed patterns. Printed from a hand-engraved copper plate, the fragile tissue is the medium by which the design is transferred from the engraving to the pot by the skilled transferrers, seen here with their backs to us. The tissues have made excellent, give-away souvenirs over the years to thousands of visitors to the Spode factory.

Italian 1932 leaflet

Spode, The Art Gallery and Trelissick

Cover of  'The Story of Spode' 1950 

In 1950 Spode, under W. T. Copeland & Sons Ltd, commissioned a book about the firm from G. Bernard Hughes. It was called 'The Story of Spode'. Inside is a black and white image of what I knew as simply the Art Gallery when I worked there. As well as looking at the image here spot the accompanying marketing blurb alongside the photos.

Buildings on the Spode factory site in Stoke were demolished in 1939 to make way for what was initially called 'The Copeland Art Gallery' to display antique Spode and other pots. The gallery looks quite austere but is quite a hit with those of us who love mid-twentieth century design. In reality the contrast between different exotic woods which decorated the walls, panels and 'hidden' cupboards was striking. Eventually the contrast mellowed but a furniture conservator who came to look at some antique pieces for me, when I was Curator of the Spode Museum, was enamoured, and went around identifying all the different types of veneer.

Ronald Copeland, Managing Director and partner in the firm, (known on the factory as Mr Ronald) was like his brother Gresham, (known as Mr Gresham) 'into' antiques, Chinese porcelain and collecting old Spode to help tell the history of the Spode firm and its products. This trait was inherited by their sons Spencer and Robert respectively.

Ronald Copeland in his office at Spode

In the image entitled 'The Ronald Copeland Art Gallery' the pots are displayed in cases flush with the walls. The cases had glass fronts framed in bronze and the design was intended to look like paintings in a gallery, hence the name Art Gallery. (The practicality of opening top-hinged plate glass windows framed in bronze is another story...).

At the time of this photo the antiques - pots, paintings and furniture - were owned variously by the company and individual members of the Copeland family. A change of ownership of the firm and the creation of a museum trust was some way ahead.

Some of the pots from the Art Gallery may have made it into the Spode Museum Trust object collection. Mr Ronald’s items passed to his son, Mr Spencer. He later transferred them to Trelissick in Cornwall, which had been the home in retirement of his parents, through the inheritance of his mother Ida Fenzi.

Ida Copeland 1921

Ida Fenzi was a fascinating woman and you can easily find out more about her by searching the web on Ida Fenzi and/or Ida Copeland.

Michael Copeland, grandson of Mrs Ida Copeland, tells me that she gave Trelissick to the National Trust in her lifetime in 1955 - house, gardens, and estate - expressing the wish for the Trust to allow her and her family after her to occupy the house 'as a home for my descendants'. She died in 1964.

In 2013 William Copeland, son of Mr Spencer, decided not to continue to occupy the main house, and arranged the sale of his father's collection of Spode, and of the contents of the house. The National Trust acquired some items, including the dessert service given by Josiah Spode II to W. T. Copeland on his marriage in 1826. The house is now open to the public.

The collection had become known as the Copeland China Collection. Much was sold at auction by Bonhams in 2013 under the title of 'The Contents of Trelissick House and the Copeland China Collection'.

During my time as curator, the Art Gallery was used to display to some of the museum's huge reserve collection. It was also used during the Trade Shows and other events for lavish corporate dinners.

The colour image here shows detail of case 11 in about 1996, with a range of 'badged' wares (specially commissioned items) including an example of the elegant dessert and tea wares used on RMS Titanic and a plate commissioned by the Society of the Cincinnati.

 Art Gallery, Case 11, Badged Wares 1996

This latter, transfer printed in blue, gilded and hand coloured, can be seen behind and just to the left of the smaller red plate on the left of the image. This is one of 200 made in 1955 and it was a replica of a Chinese porcelain plate of the 18th century. Spode produced a new shape (shape number K951) to match the Chinese shape exactly and used their Fine Stone body (ie Stone china - click here for the entry under S on my Spode ABC). The Spode engraving included, as requested, every 'minor imperfection' of the hand painted original. In fact Robert Copeland told me that the first sample was 'too perfect' and was re-engraved at the request of the society!

Cincinnati plate, 1955

Art Gallery, Case 7, Parian Ware 1996

Spode and Buttercups and Dandelions

I have been taking advantage of a rare warm and sunny spring day to get into the garden to do some much-needed tidying. As an organic gardener I spend a lot of time digging up weeds. It's actually quite therapeutic! This year the buttercups are doing fantastically well. Buttercups are one of those weeds/wild flowers which are quite nostalgic because as children in the UK they are one of the first flowers to learn and to wonder at with their incredible yellow flower. As an adult the attitude changes as many regard them as pernicious weeds. Spode produced a pattern called Buttercup which became very popular, particularly in America.

1983 catalogue page

Example of a backstamp
used to about 1957

In the Spode archive there is a record of a buttercup pattern which is a hand painted design recorded with pattern number 1/4265. This was produced on bone china in about 1885. It is thought to have been designed by Felix Xavier Abraham*, a fine artist, who worked at the factory between about 1882 and c1902. He was Art Director for a short time. Probably influenced by this hand painted design, Buttercup appeared in about 1896 in something akin to its most popular form, on earthenware, on Chelsea Wicker shape. It had pattern number 2/4187 and was printed in outline from a hand engraved copper plate and then hand coloured.

Also in 1896 a differently coloured version appeared with pattern number 2/4191 and called Mandalay. This was in reds and browns. However the best known version has pattern number 2/7873 and was first recorded in 1924 remaining in production until 1992. Many customers who wanted to add to their services asked for its reintroduction and this finally happened in 2000 but sadly was not the success it was expected to be.

Example of a backstamp 
used after 1970

The Chelsea Wicker shape was registered as a shape design on 29th October 1890 with registered number 159997.  It is an ivory coloured earthenware and was often marked Spode Imperial. The Spode Imperial name and mark was registered as a trademark with registered number 90067 on 11th April 1890.

The shape with its deeply fluted rim derives from the famous Chelsea factory in London. The embossed wicker weave is a design which was used at the Spode factory in the early 1800s particularly for dessert wares on both bone china and earthenware.

Although the revived shape was registered in 1890 the earliest pattern is not recorded in the pattern books until about 1892 as 2/3674 and the shape was described as Basket Work Chelsea Shape. Many patterns were produced on what was to become a well-loved shape.

Buttercup pattern features a wild flower and there was also another similar pattern featuring another wild flower called Cowslip. This latter was also printed and then hand coloured. 

1962 German catalogue
Buttercup left and Cowslip right

Charles Ferdinand Hürten (about whom I write in my blog Spode and Charles Ferdinand Hürten) excelled at flower painting in a natural style. 'Weeds' were not ignored by him and he painted pretty primroses, delicate daisies and wispy grasses. The image here is of a tray made in about 1865 with his study of a group of wild flowers featuring a fabulous dandelion. It almost makes you like dandelions...

*Abraham is sometimes wrongly called Abrahams (including by me and Robert Copeland!). I am almost certain now it is without the S. I have also seen the name Francis Xavier Abraham and think this may be the same person; and in the Spode archive in a document, dated 1895, a signature Frank X. Abraham. If I can discover who is who I will add to this blog...