A blue and white transfer-printed Spode plaque made nearly 200 years to mark the creation of a Stoke church could sell for thousands of pounds at auction.
The item, lot 297 in Hansons Auctioneers’ December 8 Curated Ceramics & Glass Auction, has been described as ‘extremely rare’ by Dr Richard Halliday, head of ceramics at the firm’s Staffordshire saleroom, Bishton Hall.
He said: “The plaque was made as part of the construction of Stoke New Church in 1826 – a building that was to be big enough to hold 1,672 people. Spode made five of these tiles in different bodies, including a ‘Best blue printed pottery’ example. This tile was laid by Mr Kirkham in the north-west corner of the church foundations.
“Stoke New Church is near the old Spode factory in the Staffordshire city. It’s where Josiah Spode I and II are buried.”
“It’s thought that Spode made two of each tile; one to be laid in the foundations and one as a memento of laying the tile. This would have been the memento piece. The reverse is embossed with an account in Latin about the laying of the tiles. The church was completed in 1829.
“A full account of the tiles and construction can be found in a book about the Staffordshire Potteries by Simeon Shaw (1785-1859) which was published in 1829. Shaw was a 19th-century English scientific writer, industrial historian and teacher. An account is also to be found in Whiter, Spode, 1970. The copper-plate that created this magnificent tile is still in the collection of the Spode Museum Trust.”
The plaque, which features floral decoration,is being offered for sale with a guide price of £3,000-£5,000.
“It is the star lot in a sale which offers a great deal of transfer-printed earthenware and porcelain lots from several important collections such as the Hazel and Trevor Kentish Collection and the Nicholas Moore collection,” said Dr Halliday.
CLICK HERE to view the December 8 Bishton Curated Ceramics & Glass Auction. To find out more, or to arrange a free ceramics valuation, please email [email protected]
