Spode England Tower Blue Square Covered Double Butter Dish
About the piece: Large butter dish adds interest to the table with its unusual square shape. Raised guides on bottom keep lid centered. Printed in dark Royal blue / Zaffres blue on cream earthenware. Backstamp dates it between 1970-1989. About 7” long, 5” wide, 2.25” tall. Made in England. Excellent no condition issues. About the pattern: introduced in 1814, the “Tower” pattern (sometimes referred to as “Spode’s Tower”) pictures the Ponte Salerno bridge near Rome. It was derived from a book by Merigot 'Views of Rome and its Vicinity' published c1796-1798). It was produced until about 2008 and adorns a wide variety of items including dishes and housewares. About the maker: Founded by Josiah Spode in 1770, the Spode Works in Stoke-on-Trent led the world in English pottery. They were credited with the perfection of transfer print underglazing, where copper engraving is printed onto transmit paper, which is gummed on and then glazed over for firing. This makes a charming but also dur