Spode's Blue Room

The Blue Room collection from Spode consists of plates, mugs, Jumbo Cups and Saucers and Trays with recurring pattern motifs. The motifs have different historical beginnings and are highly collectable worldwide. Some of the designs origins anr outlined below.

At the beginning of 2007 Spode's Blue Room Collection was rationalised and a number of pieces were retired to reflect the changing tastes in the 21st century. Jelly Moulds, Cappuccino Cups and Saucers, Jugs, Miniature Plates and Oval dishes were all discontinued.

Aesops Fabels

Aesops Fables was first introduced by Spode in about 1830. It is a multi-scene pattern which illustrates the famous Aesop's Fables. The pattern had a specially engraved backstamp which incorporated the name of the fable illustrated. The designs were taken from illustrations used in the 1793 edition of the Reverend Samual Croxall's Fables of Aesops. Croxall was published many times and in many formats and illustrated by many artists.

The early Spode pattern is found mostly in green with other colours including blue being rare. In the late 1990s the pattern was reintroduced as part of The Blue Room Collection.

Today the pattern can be found on Mugs, Dresser Plates and the Globe Vase in the collection.
Greek

Greek pattern was Spode's most important design inspired by classical culture. It was produced in a number of different versions, the earliest of which was Spode's first multi-scene blue printed pattern. Initially used on the New Indented dinnerware, it has been produced on a variety of ranges including dessert wares and toilet wares. A total of thirty-four different figurative scenes have been recorded for the centres of the Greek pattern which is set against a Vine sheet background. The border design comprises four different vases, which remain constant throughout the design, with four different figurative panels, which vary from piece to piece.

Spode's Greek pattern today was reintroduced as a tableware pattern as part of The Blue Room Collection in the late 1990s. It is produced today on an Imperial (ivory coloured earthenware) body on the Camilla Cottage shape and can be found on Jumbo Cups and Saucers, Mugs, Sutherland Plates and Traditions Dresser Plates.
Girl at Well

Also known as Font, it is one of very few genre scenes produced by the Spode factory. The style of these scenes of ordinary daily life, portrayed in a romantic manner caught the spirit of the age. Other genre scenes produced at Spode include Woodman, Country Scene and Milkmaid.

The original pattern was interesting as the girl was filling her ewer at a well with no handle! The pattern uses the same border as another pattern called Union Wreath III. The pattern was immediately popular and was also produced by other Staffordshire potters.

Reintroduced in the late 1990s as part of The Blue Room Collection it can now be found on Jumbo Cups and Sauces, Georgian Dresser Plates, Sutherland Plates and the Cylindrical vase.
Zoological Gardens

This pattern, newly introduced by Spode in 2000 as Zoological Gardens is taken from hand engraved copper plates bought in about 1900 from a company called Wood and Brownfield. Previously known as Robinson, Wood and Brownfield Zoological was one of their blue printed patterns seen on dinnerwares in the mid 1800s. The Spode factory bought copper plates at the sale of stock when Wood and Brownfield ceased trading. Some of these designs went on to become well-loved Spode patterns

The Zoological series used different centres on each piece which included Antelope, Camel, Lion Cages, Tiger Cages, a Zebra Pen, and a variety of birds.

When this design was first produced in the 19th century many of the exotic animals were regarded as curiosities and not widely known. All the scenes feature the animals in landscaped gardens being admired by the visiting public. The floral border is taken from another Spode design known as Rhine or Severn which was also originally produced by another factory called Davenports and bought at their sale of stock in 1887.

In 2000 the plates in the Zoological Gardens pattern formed part of Spode's Blue Room Collection dresser plates.

We are grateful to the Spode Museum in producing this account of Spode's Blue Room Collection.