Spode Blue and White Greek Pattern Hot Water Dishes, Zeus in His Chariot, A Pair
Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire
Circa 1806-1815

This pair of Spode pearlware hot water dishes is printed in underglaze blue with the Greek pattern, each centered with the scene known as Zeus in His Chariot. The god, a thunderbolt in his raised hand, drives a team of four galloping horses, a subject identified as Zeus (Jupiter) riding to visit his mortal lover, Semele. The scene is reserved in white on a solid blue ground within a band of interlaced circles enclosing quatrefoils. The border carries four shaped panels of classical figures alternating with four Greek vases, all set against a close ground of leaves and berries.

Each dish is made as a plate with a slightly indented rim set over a deep, bowl-shaped reservoir, the outside of which is printed with the same border of vases and figure panels. Loop handles modeled as rustic twigs spring from hollow lugs at either side. One conceals the opening through which the reservoir was filled with hot water, while the other is finished with a molded leaf edged in blue. Each stands on a low foot rim with a plain glazed base.

Hot water dishes kept food warm at table through a long dinner, and they are among the less often seen shapes of a Greek pattern service.

The pair hangs well on a wall, where the handles give a strong outline, or stands on a sideboard or dresser with other blue and white. The deep blue suits both traditional and neoclassical rooms.

Dimensions
Diameter: 91/2 inches (24.1 cm)
Width across handles: 111/4 inches (28.6 cm)
Height: 2 inches (5.1 cm)

Marks
Each with a printed workman's mark in underglaze blue, a circle and arrow, recorded as Spode workman's mark WMT 1.

Provenance
Private collection.
From a larger group of five hot water dishes, two pairs and a single.

Condition
Good antique condition, the printing crisp and the blue deep and strong.

References
David Drakard and Paul Holdway, Spode Transfer Printed Ware 1784-1833 (Antique Collectors' Club, 2002), pp. 248-250, P906-1.
Spode Exhibition Online (Winterthur Museum, Transferware Collectors Club and The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery), "Zeus in His Chariot," a dinner plate with the same center, recording Drakard and Holdway P906-1 and workman's mark WMT 1.
Thomas Kirk, Outlines from the Figures and Compositions upon the Greek, Roman and Etruscan Vases of the late Sir William Hamilton (William Miller, London, 1804).
Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, a Spode Greek pattern serving dish given by Mrs. H. D. Weatherhead, catalogued as after Thomas Kirk.

Historical Context
Spode introduced the Greek pattern in 1806, in answer to the taste for classical subjects fostered by the Greek Revival. The center scenes were taken from published engravings of the ancient vases collected by Sir William Hamilton, British envoy at Naples, whose first collection was sold to the British Museum in 1772. The chief source was "Outlines from the Figures and Compositions upon the Greek, Roman and Etruscan Vases of the late Sir William Hamilton," drawn and engraved by "the late Mr. Kirk" and published in London by William Miller in 1804, with further subjects drawn from the earlier volumes of d'Hancarville and Tischbein.

Greek was probably the first multi-scene pattern introduced at the Spode factory, a different subject being given to each shape in the service. Zeus in His Chariot, the scene of the dinner plate, is recorded by Drakard and Holdway as P906-1, a number in their catalogue of Spode prints and not a factory pattern number. Hot water dishes were among the more demanding pieces of a service to make, the plate and its reservoir being formed separately and joined before firing.

(Ref: VM98377)


Condition:
Alterations: Original Condition Unaltered
Imperfections: Some Imperfections
Condition Notes: Good

Origin:
United Kingdom

Creator:
Brand: Spode

Materials & Techniques:
Pottery

Details:
What type of item is it? Vintage / Antique / Used
Country of Origin: United Kingdom

Original Condition Unaltered; Some Imperfections; Good