a rare regency spode bat printed tea cup circa 1805-1810 with an historic staple repair.
60mm high x 80mm diameter.
a beautiful example of early 19th century english bone china from the celebrated spode pottery. the cup features a crisp, stippled bat- print depicting three game birds and spodes famous distinct loop handle designed with a pronounced kick or kink near the bottom, the cup is finished with hand painted gold leaf around the upper and lower rims and down the handle spine.
Bat printing (or black/grey printing) used flexible stippled gelatine or glue "bats" instead of paper to transfer fine lines from engraved copper plates. It resulted in a soft, incredibly detailed, stippled aesthetic rather than a sharp-edged standard transfer print.
the cup has a very old and at the time costly metal staple repair. the repair gives the cup an even more charming appeal, the cup has its own personality, the repair gives us an insight into its history and the importance and value the owner held for it, the beauty is found because of the break and the subsequent repair, not in spite of it. The "scars and stitches" are a testament to the object's history and resilience.
the use of staples to repair broken ceramics originated in china and was later adopted in England in the 18th century for the repair of important and valuable pottery, becoming widely used in the 19th century, the process dying out with the introduction of suitable adhesives.
