Copeland Spode "Buttercup" 77-Piece Dinner Service for 8+, Basketweave Border View Watchlist >
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Lot # F598
System ID # 29310756
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Copeland Spode "Buttercup" 77-Piece Dinner Service for 8+, Basketweave Border
Copeland Spode introduced the "Buttercup" pattern in the late nineteenth century, drawing on the English tradition of botanical transferware that had made Staffordshire earthenware a fixture on tables from colonial parlors to Victorian dining rooms. Where earlier Spode patterns leaned on Chinese-inspired motifs, "Buttercup" turned resolutely toward the English hedgerow — yellow buttercups (Ranunculus) and blue forget-me-nots rendered in hand-applied color over an engraved transfer, set against an ivory ground with a molded basketweave border and a brown lace-and-bead frame. The result is one of the most enduring country-floral patterns in English ceramics, produced continuously well into the twentieth century and still collected actively today. The backstamp on pieces in this lot — Copeland Spode England "Buttercup" — along with impressed date codes and pattern number 2/7873, places production in the mid-twentieth century Copeland period, before the Spode name was formally consolidated in 1970.
This is a substantial, working service: 77 pieces across every form a dinner table demands, from the large oval tray and serving dish down through four plate sizes, saucers, cups, and bowls. The scalloped, fluted rim runs consistent across all plate forms; the cups and bowls repeat the basketweave and floral motifs at a smaller register. "Buttercup" has the warmth and informality to move between Sunday lunch and a properly set dinner table without looking out of place at either.
CONDITION
Good overall. Some pieces show crazing to the glaze, most concentrated on cup interiors and certain bowl surfaces, and sporadic discoloration is present across the lot. No chips and no cracks noted. Wear is consistent with regular use over many decades.
DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS
- (12) Dinner Plates — 10.5" Dia.
- (8) Plates — 9" Dia.
- (11) Salad Plates — 8" Dia.
- (9) Dessert Plates — 6.5" Dia.
- (14) Saucers — 5.5" Dia.
- (13) Tea Cups — 2" H
- (8) Bowls — 1" H × 5" Dia.
- (1) Tray — 1" H × 13" W × 10" D
- (1) Serving Dish — 2" H × 10" W × 7.5" D
- Total: 77 Pieces
- Pattern No.: 2/7873
- Maker: Copeland Spode, England
