Royal Crimson: Spode Raspberry-Ground Porcelain Potpourri Basket, Circa 1825

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Royal Crimson: Spode Raspberry-Ground Porcelain Potpourri Basket, Circa 1825
Circa 1825

A jewel for a mantel or dressing table, this … Read more Royal Crimson: Spode Raspberry-Ground Porcelain Potpourri Basket, Circa 1825
Circa 1825

A jewel for a mantel or dressing table, this small Spode porcelain potpourri basket glows in the factory’s rarest and most extravagant color, a deep raspberry crimson made from gold itself. Over it, gilders laid a garden of raised gold: a band of strawberry leaves and berries around the shoulder, exotic long-tailed birds among foliage on the foot and cover, and ropes of gold beading at the rims. The pierced cover, which once let the scent of dried rose petals drift into a Regency drawing room, is topped by a golden pinecone finial.

The high loop handle is the charming surprise: left white and molded with little roses, blue forget-me-nots and green leaves, it gives the piece the freshness of a summer basket against all that crimson and gold. Made around 1825 and marked with Spode pattern number 3993, it is a documented Spode shape, recorded in the factory’s own pattern books as a “Bow-handled bucket.”

At under five inches high it is perfectly scaled for a bedside table, a bookshelf vignette or a powder room, and it sings alongside deep reds, gilt frames and jewel-toned textiles. Fill it with potpourri as intended, or simply let it be the small luxury that anchors a tabletop.

Dimensions:
Height: 4 3/4 inches (12.1 cm)

Marks:
Spode 3993

Provenance:
Earle D. Vandekar of Knightsbridge

Ref: NY3207-mni See less