Editing Spode (section)

=== Bone china ===
During the 18th century, many English potters were striving and competing to discover the secret of the production of porcelain. The [[Plymouth porcelain|Plymouth]] and [[Bristol porcelain|Bristol]] factories, and (from 1782 to 1810) the New Hall (Staffordshire) factory under Richard Champion's patent, were producing [[Hard-paste porcelain|hard paste]] similar to Oriental porcelain. The technique was developed by adding calcined bone to this glassy [[frit]], for example in the productions of [[Bow porcelain]] and [[Chelsea porcelain]], and this was carried on from at least the 1750s onwards. [[Soapstone]] porcelains further added [[steatite]], known as French chalk, for instance at [[Worcester, England|Worcester]] and Caughley factories.<ref>The source for this section is Hayden 1925, Chapter 5, pp. 88–104.</ref>

The bone porcelains, especially those of Spode, [[Thomas Minton|Minton]], Davenport and [[Coalport China|Coalport]]. Although the [[Bow porcelain factory]], [[Chelsea porcelain factory]], [[Royal Worcester]] and [[Royal Crown Derby]] factories had, before Spode, established a proportion of about 40–45 per cent calcined bone in the formula as standard, it was Spode who first abandoned the practice of calcining the bone with some of the other ingredients, and used a mix of [[bone ash]], [[china stone]] and [[kaolin]], which remains the basic recipe of bone china. The traditional bone china recipe was six parts bone-ash, four parts china stone and 3.5 parts kaolin.

Josiah Spode I effectively finalised the formula, and appears to have been doing so between 1789 and 1793. It remained an industrial secret for some time. The importance of his innovations has been disputed, being played down by Arthur Church in his ''English Porcelain'', estimated practically by William Burton, and being very highly esteemed by Spode's contemporary [[Alexandre Brongniart]], director of the [[Manufacture nationale de Sèvres|Sèvres manufactory]], in his ''Traité des Arts Céramiques'', and by M. L. Solon hailed as a revolutionary improvement.

Many examples of the elder Spode's productions were destroyed in a fire at [[Alexandra Palace]], London in 1873, where they were included in an exhibition of nearly five thousand specimens of English pottery and porcelain.

The business was carried on through his sons at Stoke until April 1833. Spode's London retail shop in Portugal Street went by the name of Spode, Son, and Copeland.<ref>Geoffrey A. Godden, ''The Handbook of British Pottery and Porcelain Marks'' (Barrie and Jenkins, London 1972 (Revised Edition)), p. 119. See also the monograph, Leonard Whiter, ''Spode: A History of the Family, Factory and Wares from 1733 to 1833'' (Barrie & Jenkins, London 1970, reissued with expanded plates, 1987, 1989).</ref>

Among the many surviving Spode documents are two shape books dated to about 1820 which contain thumbnail sketches of bone china objects with instructions to throwers and turners about size requirements. One copy is in the Joseph Downes collection at [[Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library]] in Delaware, United States.<ref>[http://www.winterthur.org/ Winterthur.org]</ref>