A Chamber Pot, Spode, Staffordshire, circa 1820
This Spode Tower pattern chamber pot is transfer-printed in the attractive light blue of early Tower pieces. The scene depicts a bridge within a romantic, tree-filled, hilly landscape. The bridge is fortified by a tower, from which the pattern takes its name. The wide, flattened rim is decorated with a printed border of flowers, and the moulded handle is decorated with a print of small, stylised flower heads.
Introduced by Spode in circa 1814, the Tower pattern depicts the Ponte Salaro (Salario), a fortified road bridge in Rome. The source print is taken from Views of Rome and its Vicinity, by the artist James Merigot, published 1796-98 (see the last image).
The base is unmarked, which is not unusual for Spode wares of this period.
Chamber pots were not always confined to the bedchamber; they were regularly placed behind a screen in the dining room so that they may be used discreetly during meals.
Condition: The handle has broken off and been reattached with metal rivets, a secure and inventive solution which saved this prized potty from the 19th-century waste heap. There are a few short hairlines associated with the break. No other damage or restoration, just minor age-related surface scratches and wear to the glaze in places.
Dimensions: Diameter (at the rim) 24.4 cm; Height 14.7 cm
The Dictionary of Blue & White Printed Pottery 1780-1880, Volume I, A.W. Coysh & R.K. Henrywood (Antique Collectors’ Club, 1995).