Spode Hand Painted Monochrome Saucer Depicting Castle Ruin, Pattern 382, c. 1802

A fine hand-painted landscape with a castle ruin and a lone figure. The pattern is no. 382, as seen in Spode’s pattern book. Hand painting was performed for a year or two before bat printing was introduced in c.1802-3.

The grey-sepia monochrome was painted on after firing, which means it is susceptible to tiny scratches. This saucer is in very good condition with minimal wear. The gilding is in good condition. There are no chips or cracks. As is usual for this early Spode period, the bottom is unmarked.

Spode produced the finest English porcelain at the time. Founded by Josiah Spode (1733–1797) in 1770, it was responsible for perfecting two important techniques: transfer printing in underglaze blue on fine earthenware in 1783–1784 and the formula for fine bone china around 1790, which was generally adopted by the industry.