Fine Spode Regency Porcelain Imari Ducks Tea Cup & Saucer 2617

A stunning Spode bone china teacup and saucer painted with a fabulous Japanese imari style pattern of two distinct parts. In the centre of the saucer and running around the outside of the cup is a scene of a garden with fence, rocks, a small pond, larch tree and flowers. The outer edge of the saucer and inside the cup is a running frieze of tree trunks, rocks, pools and hanging cloud type flowering branches. Stood in two of these pools are birds, they look very much like ducks, and above the third pool on the saucer is a third bird circling overhead. Lovely bright enamels in iron red, green and salmon, over under-glaze blue in two tones, and generous gilding used for the larch tree, fence and flowers and to draw in the details on the birds, rocks, trunks and pools. An unusual application of a sulphur yellow enamel is used only in one place on each piece forming an odd pile behind one of the blue tree trunks rather reminiscent of frogspawn. Gilt bands under the rims and handle. London shape, c.1815, both pieces marked Spode in red script and the pattern number 2617 as well as a small workman's mark.