Spode

Spode China - Browse Over 1000 items from Spode Gift and Tableware

The History of Spode

In a Staffordshire churchyard in 1739, a six-year-old boy watched his father buried in a pauper's grave. At seven he was apprenticed to a nearby pottery. It's hard to imagine a more unpromising beginning, yet his name was to become world famous, synonymous with finest in ceramic art.

The boy was Josiah Spode I who would soon prove himself to be one of the technological and marketing geniuses in the history of ceramics. By 1770 he acquired his own factory in Stoke-on-Trent where Spode is still produced today. He soon began to demonstrate his technical skills and creativity as well as an unusual instinct for what his customers wanted.

Over the next thirty years Spode revolutionized the English ceramics industry. By perfecting the technique of transfer printing on earthenware from hand-engraved copper plates, he made the commercial production of lower-cost, consistent-quality wares possible. It was an overnight sensation and was quickly adopted by other English potters.

Spode was the first to recognize the potential of North America when he appointed the Hudson's Bay Company as his agent. Immediately after the Revolutionary War, Spode appointed agents in the major American cities. By the turn of the century North America was Spode's largest customer and has remained so ever since. Consequently Spode has been unusually sensitive to American tastes.

By the 18th century, continental porcelain was the rage among the ladies of the manor; however, English clays would not produce a body as white as these. In his search for a comparable body, Josiah Spode in 1797 discovered the formula for Fine Bone China. Its brilliant whiteness and delicate translucency far surpassed any continental porcelain and inspired new standards of artistry, skill and finish. Spode I did not live to see his most famous discovery brought to market by his son, Spode II.

Spode shapes trace their lineage to the classic forms of Georgian silver. When the rich surface decoration for which Spode is so famous is added, the patterns have a uniqueness and character unequaled by any other.

Spode received the first of its Royal Warrants in 1806 and continues to supply Royal families to this day.

Spode Fine Bone China is still made by the original formula and is recognized as the whitest and strongest made. Legally, the term Fine Bone China can only be used to describe translucent whiteware containing not less than 15% (USA) or 30% (UK) calcium phosphate derived from ox bone. Because Spode contains 50% calcium phosphate, it can withstand up to 17,000 pounds pressure per square inch. To protect your investment in Spode Fine Bone China, we recommend washing by hand.

From generation to generation, Spode has been handed down by families and collectors who appreciate the joy of owning the original. And so it is today.

© Spode 2000. Used with permission.

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