Copeland Spode Platters and Serveware
Steeped in British history and tradition, the name Copeland Spode is renowned among porcelain collectors for its fine-quality bone china and earthenware pieces. With its roots in Spode — one of the oldest and most distinguished of the great pottery companies of Staffordshire, the time-honored home of English ceramics — Copeland Spode is known to pottery enthusiasts for some of the most timeless and recognizable patterns produced in 19th and early 20th-century porcelain manufacturing such as Wicker Lane, Chinese Rose and Tower. Collectors regard Copeland-marked pieces as Spode china.
The story of Copeland Spode china began in 1770 when English potter Josiah Spode founded a pottery and homewares company called Spode in Stoke-on-Trent, England. Within fifteen years, the manufacturer became known for its signature blue-on-white palette, and one of the company’s designers developed a specific cobalt hue for their teapots, trays, bowls and more. Spode’s founder was particularly revered for two technical achievements in the firm’s early decades. The first was to develop a standard formula for the making of bone china — a type of porcelain (made with a mixture of bone ash, minerals and clay) that is dazzlingly white and so strong it can be used to create very thin translucent plates and vessels. The other was to perfect the making of transferware.
In 1833, entrepreneurs William Taylor Copeland (the Lord Mayor of London at the time) and Thomas Garrett purchased Spode’s pottery-making company following the death of Josiah Spode III, and the name was changed to Copeland Spode. Then, in 1847, Copeland became the firm’s sole owner and the name changed again, this time to W. T. Copeland and Sons, in 1867 when Copeland retired and his four sons took over the business.
Trading as W. T. Copeland and Sons throughout the mid-to-late 19th century, the company found a formidable competitor in another well-known porcelain maker, Minton. Many of the manufacturer’s Georgian, Rococo and late-Victorian pieces such as its dinner plates, tableware, platters, bowls and baskets were commissioned by wealthy British and European clients and exported for sale throughout the British Empire and to the United States. Several of W. T. Copeland and Sons’ spectacular pieces were exhibited at the Great Exhibition of London in 1851 and the International Exhibitions of London and Paris in 1862 and 1878, respectively.
In addition to their exceptional quality and design, the company’s ceramics were particularly prized for their intricate patterns which featured a variety of colors. For instance, its popular Tower pattern was available in a pale ultramarine blue, a darker Royal Saxon blue, rose pink, brown and green.
The company continued as W. T. Copeland and Sons until 1970 when Spode again became the brand's name. Afterward, during the late 1970s, Spode, Royal Worcester and Palissy came under common ownership. In 2009, the firm was purchased by the Portmeirion Group. However, the Spode and Royal Worcester names continue to flourish as highly popular “traditional English heritage” brands within the Portmeirion company.
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1790s English Empire Antique Copeland Spode Platters and Serveware
Earthenware
Early 1800s English Empire Antique Copeland Spode Platters and Serveware
Earthenware
Late 19th Century English Chinoiserie Antique Copeland Spode Platters and Serveware
Pottery
Mid-19th Century English Victorian Antique Copeland Spode Platters and Serveware
Pottery
1920s English George III Vintage Copeland Spode Platters and Serveware
Earthenware
Late 19th Century French French Provincial Antique Copeland Spode Platters and Serveware
Earthenware
19th Century English Antique Copeland Spode Platters and Serveware
Pewter
Late 19th Century Spanish Chinoiserie Antique Copeland Spode Platters and Serveware
Porcelain
2010s Portuguese Organic Modern Copeland Spode Platters and Serveware
Ceramic, Stoneware
Early 19th Century English Greek Revival Antique Copeland Spode Platters and Serveware
Porcelain
Late 19th Century Japanese Antique Copeland Spode Platters and Serveware
Ceramic
1890s Italian Mid-Century Modern Antique Copeland Spode Platters and Serveware
Ceramic
1850s English Antique Copeland Spode Platters and Serveware
Gold
20th Century English Neoclassical Copeland Spode Platters and Serveware
Porcelain
19th Century English Victorian Antique Copeland Spode Platters and Serveware
Majolica
1920s English Late Victorian Vintage Copeland Spode Platters and Serveware
Ceramic
Early 20th Century British Victorian Copeland Spode Platters and Serveware
Ceramic
Mid-19th Century English Chinoiserie Antique Copeland Spode Platters and Serveware
Ironstone
Late 19th Century English Late Victorian Antique Copeland Spode Platters and Serveware
Ironstone
Mid-20th Century English Copeland Spode Platters and Serveware
Ceramic
Mid-19th Century English Georgian Antique Copeland Spode Platters and Serveware
Porcelain
1920s English George III Vintage Copeland Spode Platters and Serveware
Earthenware
1910s English Neoclassical Vintage Copeland Spode Platters and Serveware
Porcelain
1910s English Neoclassical Vintage Copeland Spode Platters and Serveware
Porcelain
1910s English Rococo Vintage Copeland Spode Platters and Serveware
Porcelain
1920s English Aesthetic Movement Vintage Copeland Spode Platters and Serveware
Pottery
Late 19th Century English George III Antique Copeland Spode Platters and Serveware
Earthenware
19th Century English Victorian Antique Copeland Spode Platters and Serveware
Pottery
Early 20th Century English Copeland Spode Platters and Serveware
Copeland Spode platters and serveware for sale on 1stDibs.
- What is Spode Copeland?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022Spode Copeland is a brand of fine antique porcelain from Britain. The Spode company started in 1776, and was bought by the Copeland family early in the 1830s. Browse a collection of Spode Copeland porcelain pieces from top sellers on 1stDibs.