May 31, 2013

Finest Hour 116, Autumn 2002

Page 36

BY MAX EDWARD HERTWIG

One of the most admired and sought after pieces of Churchilliana is the famous Spode pitcher, first produced in 1941 and reissued in its original and a new shape in 1965. A recent spate of the Spode jugs on eBay has revealed the existence of several permutations of this famous piece of which we were not previously aware.

The most memorable feature of these pitchers, common to each, is the superb transfer decal on the front or obverse: a cameo of Churchill, flanked with a warship, tank and fighter aircraft, under the May 1940 speech excerpt (slightly misquoted), ALL I CAN OFFER IS BLOOD, TOIL, TEARS AND SWEAT above a ribbon bearing Churchill’s remark about the RAF from August 1940: NEVER IN THE FIELD OF HUMAN CONFLICT WAS SO MUCH OWED BY SO MANY TO SO FEW. There are variations in colour, and two different types of decal for the reverse side; but this elegant piece of artistry is common to the front of all pitchers.

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The pitcher was likely created by the company’s own designers, since no particular artist is credited with it in Spode’s records. Since it was not a limited edition, Spode has no record of how many were made. There were, however, two distinct runs: in 1941 and again in 1965, when a new shape was produced alongside the original.

The following information was gleaned from the Spode Museum and observations of the pitchers shown here.

Stated sizes are vague because Spode’s records are confusing. Pamela Wooliscraft, curator of the Spode Museum Trust, notes: “Sometimes the jugs are categorised in the old way—36s, 24s 18s etc.—the bigger the number the smaller the pieces. Some are given numbers such as “No. 1 size” and some are just labelled small, medium and large. Some catalogues give a capacity. I don’t have much information on items specifically for the U.S. market and have not managed to work out the size of this piece! Although we have a large archive, the information was often in somebody’s head and not recorded.”

SHAPE K744: THE ORIGINAL ISSUE, 1941

The 1941 original is known in five different varieties, all with the Churchill, battleship, aircraft and tank on the front, but in different colour-ways, two different rear designs, and two sizes.

UK MARKET: 7 1/4″ HIGH WITH A 4 1/4″ DIAMETER OPENING:

Patterns F445 and F446. The bottom bears the maker’s mark (COPELAND…SPODE…ENGLAND) and the registration number: Rd No. 838714. The rear design seems always to have been the same, in three variations:

Pattern F445: Rear has crossed Union and American flags, with a fighter aircraft between them and a ribbon bearing the motto WE STAND FOR DEMOCRACY. Printed in brown.

Pattern F446: Same as F445 but printed in black.

Note: The Spode Museum says the registration number is for a toby or character jug—so this is a puzzle.

USA MARKET: Distinctly smaller than above, 6 1/2″ high with a 4″ diameter opening. The bottom bears the maker’s mark (COPELAND…SPODE…ENGLAND) and the words, “U.S.A. DESIGN…PATENT PENDING.” The rear design is, however, entirely unique.

Pattern F448: A bulldog on a Union Flag bestriding a globe with the British Empire shown in dark color. Over and under the design is the February 1941 exchange of quotes between President Roosevelt, quoting Longfellow (SAIL ON, O SHIP OF STATE, etc.) and Churchill, replying over the radio (GIVE US THE TOOLS AND WE WILL FINISH THE JOB!) Printed in black.

Pattern F449: Same as F448 but printed in brown.

Pattern F475: Same as F449 but printed in brown and hand-colored on glaze. Band etc. in rose leaf green.

Note: A third transfer pattern (single Union Flag on the reverse) has been mentioned by a collector, but is not known to the Spode Museum. We would appreciate any data known about this undocumented design.

The smaller, lighter American version was probably made to facilitate export shipments, but why the different rear designs? Most likely it had to do with the flags: The original crossed flag design conforms to conventional flag etiquette, with the home country’s on the left; but American usage would require the Stars and Stripes at left.

The Spode Museum believes this consideration caused the bulldog design to be substituted, though Spode might have done better to keep the original. That globe showing the Empire served nicely to remind Americans how much of the world belonged to Great Britain—not exactly the best way to influence die-hard isolationists!

And, although the quotations comprise a memorable exchange between Roosevelt and Churchill, when the latter was proposing the destroyers-for-bases swap, there is no attribution of either quotation on the pitchers.

THE 1965 REISSUE

(Large Galloway and Melba shapes)

Although the Churchill jug doesn’t appear in Spode’s 1965 catalogue, it was definitely reissued, in both the large Galloway (indistinguishable from 1941) and a new, rather elegant shape called “Melba”: very distinctive and elegant with a flared “foot” and no decoration to the spout.

Spode records disclose that the Melba shape was only issued in pattern ¥446: black printed with the original British market crossed flags on the reverse. An annotated note in the pattern books, dated February 1965, states: “No. 1 Melba Jug and No. 1 Galloway Jug.” Since the Melba and large Galloway are very different shapes, “No. 1” may refer to the crossed flags decal on the back. The reissue was probably made to commemorate Churchill after his death in January.

UK MARKET: The Melba style has both the greatest height and narrowest opening of the three shapes known: 7 3/4″ high with an opening diameter of 3 1/2.” It is more elegant, thanks to a lovely curved ‘foot’ flaring out at the base, though its spout is plain, lacking the decorative moulding of the Galloway. On the bottom is OPELAND…SPODE…ENGLAND Rd No. 83871⁴. Note: the “4” here appears in superscript, distinctly different from the original UK market Galloway shape.

POSTCRIPT: THE SPODE MUG

This famous design also made its way onto a white handled mug, shown here from the collection of William Ives.

VALUES

Internet auction prices run $150/300 or £90-180 for U.S. market Galloway pitchers, depending on condition. Prices are running about double that for the UK market large Galloway with crossed flags and, because of its scarcity, the “Melba” flared bottom shape from 1965.

Our thanks for kind assistance in research to Jill Wolliscroft, curator, the Spode Museum Trust, Ronald Smith, Devoy White, Ralph Fava, and Fred Hardman.