Spode Hand-Painted Chinoiserie Plate – Series 1653, c.1810

This is not a plate you eat off. Well, technically you could — it's survived 215 years, so it can probably handle a sandwich — but that would be missing the point entirely. This is a hand-painted Spode Chinoiserie display plate from circa 1810, bearing the original Spode mark on the reverse and series number 1653, which is how we know exactly when it was made. Spode kept meticulous records. Unlike most of us.

The decoration is a lush Chinoiserie botanical scene painted in rich greens and golds — bamboo, flowering plants, and foliage rendered with the kind of confident brushwork that only comes from a skilled hand and a very steady cup of tea. The gold bamboo leaves catch the light beautifully. The whole composition has that wonderful asymmetric energy that the Regency era borrowed wholesale from Chinese export porcelain and made entirely its own.

The paint is applied thickly and with conviction. There is some fading in places — as you'd expect from something painted by hand in 1810 — and light use marks consistent with a plate that has actually lived a life. No chips. No cracks. No repairs. Just honest age on an extraordinary object.

Comes complete with its wall-mounting plate holder, ready to hang immediately.

Diameter: 23.5 cm
Weight: 450 grams
Maker: Spode, England
Series: 1653
Decoration: Hand-painted Chinoiserie botanical
Year: circa 1810
Condition: Very good — some paint fading and light use marks, no chips or cracks
Includes: Wall-mounting plate holder

WARNING: Hanging this plate on your wall will immediately raise the perceived cultural sophistication of the entire room by approximately 200 years. Guests will assume you know things about Regency-era ceramics. You will need to either learn those things or become very good at changing the subject. Maison de L'oro recommends the former, but understands if you choose the latter.