The bowl featured here is indeed marked ‘1409’ (see image 8) alongside a form of the name ‘Spode’ which dates to before 1821 (Leonard Whiter : Spode p224). It most likely derives from the service which Whiter once saw complete but has now, presumably, been dispersed. The pattern with its vivid palette of red, blue and gold and floral decoration is a lavish reinterpretation of the ‘Imari’ wares which had been exported to the West in great quantities by the Chinese in the eighteenth century and the Japanese before them. These pieces took their name from their port of export in Japan, Imari; they were actually made at Arita in the former Hizen province. Amongst the wares exported by the Chinese were extensive dinner services and their popularity caused them to be copied and imitated by many of the English potteries from early 1800s onwards, indeed a near identical and contemporary version of this pattern was produced by Coalport.

The square form bowl, indented at the corners and curving inwards towards the base, was a classic Chinese form and is usually referred to as a salad bowl. The standard Chinese dinner service would have had a pair of these, but the shape is rarely found in the English dinner wares made in imitation. Its occurrence here combined with a firmly dateable early nineteenth century pattern in an opulent design which has survived in a remarkable state of preservation makes this very much a ‘one off’ piece and a highly desirable addition to a collection of nineteenth century decorative ceramics.