Underglaze blue transfer-printed decoration had been introduced on English porcelain at the end of the 1750s but was not widely adopted by earthenware manufacturers until the 1780s. Josiah Spode (1733–97) is said to have introduced it at his Stoke factory in 1784 but the technique was not perfected until the early 1800s. During the proprietorship of Josiah Spode II (1755–1827) the number and variety of patterns available increased rapidly.

‘Greek’ pattern, introduced in 1806, catered for the demand for classical subjects created by the Greek revival. Each shape in the service was decorated with the same four vases between reserves containing different scenes derived from engravings of Greek vases in the collection of Sir William Hamilton (d. 1803). The central medallion on this plate shows Zeus in his chariot. The pattern was very popular and production continued during the Copeland and Garrett period (1833–47).

The development of underglaze blue printed earthenware was one of the outstanding successes of the British ceramic industry. Throughout the nineteenth century it was produced by hundreds of factories in Staffordshire and elsewhere, and was exported all over the world. Admittedly the quality of designs and printing was uneven, but at its best blue and white had undeniable charm and was ideal for everyday use. After about 1860 production gradually declined and there are now relatively few patterns on the market, among them Spode's ‘Italian’, introduced about 1816.