The story of Spode s Blue Italian is one of the most remarkable in the history of ceramics. It has been in continuous production since 1816 and is one of the great classic patterns. It is not just a truly great pattern, but a living testimony to one of the most important breakthroughs in English pottery. Josiah Spode opened his first factory in the 1770 s and soon began to demonstrate his unique skills and creativity. Even before his discovery of the formula for Fine Bone China, he ensured his immortality by perfecting blue underglaze printing. The design was hand engraved on copper plates, a process that required the utmost skill to create the unique sense of space and atmosphere that has never been matched.

The engraved pattern was then filled with metallic oxide and special tissue paper applied, or rubbed in by hand.

After passing through rollers, the tissue was peeled away to reveal the pattern.

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