Piercing was used as a method of decorating English ceramics from the early eighteenth century. Pierced examples are known of Staffordshire slipware, salt glazed stoneware and even some tin glazed wares. From the middle of the century with the development of the creamware body, pierced ware became increasingly fashionable. Pierced creamware was produced in large quantities from the 1770s onwards, the style was particularly associated with Yorkshire factories and became known as Leeds ware.

The Staffordshire Potteries also produced pierced creamware in the later 18 th century. The earliest use of the technique at Spode can be seen in earthenware. At first piercing appears to have been adopted for functional reasons as well as decorative. Examples dating from the 1790s and 1800s range from covers for potpourris and violet pots and drainers for meat dishes, to toast racks and chestnut baskets. The classic decorative use of the technique can be seen in the pierced arcaded borders of dessert wares of the 1790s. These pieces were further decorated in all kinds of manner, examples in the Spode Museum from this period include creamware, green glazed ware, stone ware, blue and colour printed pearlware and early bone china.

Piercing of early porcelains was notoriously difficult due to the tendency of the material to collapse during firing. Spode’s new stronger bone china formula permitted more elaborate use of the technique.

The fashion for piercing re-emerged in the mid-Victorian period when Islamic design began to influence all forms of decorative art following the Great Exhibition of 1851. In response to this market, the company introduced a new range of shapes for china dessert wares with intricate arcaded pierced designs inspired by Moorish architecture. These shape designs with names such as Madrid, Dagmar and Alhambra were used for the highest quality prestige wares and were further embellished with raised paste gilding, jewelled enamels and multi-fired grounds such as bleu celeste.

In the 20 th century, the technique fell out of fashion and the style has only recently been revived in 1999 in Spode’s new limited edition sets of pierced plates.

The Pierced Octagonal plates are a revival of a shape popular in the 1880s known as Japanese shape. The intricately pierced panels alternate with panels of small sprays of flowers. There are six different centres featuring large sprays of flowers such as primulas, tulips and roses. These were copied by Spode’s designers from a dessert service made in 1827 on display in the Spode Museum.

The Pierced Regimental plates are a reissue of the Dagmar shape a popular pierced design of the late Victorian period. Each plate has a central design of fruit and flowers, a favourite combination for early handpainted Spode dessert services. Between the piercings are panels of delicate blossoms on a blue background surrounding an oval cartouche.

In the late 1990s a new method of piercing ware was introduced at the Spode factory and pierced designs with both traditional and modern shapes are now part of Spode production once more.

 
 
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