Rare Bat-printed Spode porcelain plate 1803-1807 Ref.P.50
Fine decorated ceramics were expensive to produce as each article had to be hand-painted, a very time consuming process, especially if the article was damaged with subsequent firings. So when a new technique of producing a print of a design which could be transferred to the ceramic article appeared, this revolutionized the ceramic industry. The rising number of middle-class consumers offered a growing market at home and abroad. By 1750, transfer designs were being made on pre-glazed articles. This was known as overglaze printing. Bat printing was one of the very first methods of producing a acceptable transfer designs. In fact, bat printed objects were exceptional in their quality and very fine details on the transfer design could be produced. A 'Bat' was a thin 'jelly' sheet made from boiled animal bones and skins. This 'bat' was placed on a engraved copper sheet, which had been lightly oiled. The oil adhered to the bat and the bat was then pressed against a glazed porcelain piece. This left an image of the engraving in oil. The color pigment, mixed with a flux was then carefully powdered onto the oil and the ceramic piece returned to the oven where it was baked at a moderate heat, just hot enough to bond the design to the glaze. Unfortunately, overglaze designs were subject to damage and wear, having no protective glaze, and the process, being very time-consuming and costly, was eventually abandoned by the 1830's. Eventually the simpler method of underglaze transfers dominated the industry and it was Josiah Spode who was the first potter to commercially produce underglaze blue printed earthenware.
The bone china porcelain plate as offered above was one of Spodes first bat printed series. The pattern, number 557, as seen on the back of the plate, is possibly from Buffons Natural History published in 1792.
The plate remains in very good condition and shows a hunting scene of three birds. The gilded rim does show some wear but the bat printed design is remarkably intact. The underglaze shows a heavy orange peel effect, glazing was still in its infancy. Small black spots indicate the plate was fired in a wood kiln.
The plate measures 24.8 cm in diameter and stands 3.2 cm high and shows no signs of restoration nor are any cracks or chips evident. This is a stunning example of Spodes early work.
Please note, I am NOT a qualified archaeologist/antiquarian and the description I have given is based on research of the subject.
This is a genuine antique. The classification of an 'antique' is that it should be 100 years old, OR MORE. There are many articles being offered as 'antiques' when, clearly, they are not.
Price R700.00 Post R120.00 (Courier only)
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