Blue Willow China
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05-26-2004 01:47 AM

Spode Blue Willow
I have been collecting Blue Willow for about 30 years now and it is quite impossible to contain my excuberance when finding a new piece. Price sometimes is the only deterrent and even that fails occasionally. It is the only china pattern that I know of which is based on a romantic legend. Essential Blue Willow components are a Chinese temple, bridge, island, and two birds in flight. There are several versions of the legend but each has the essential core parts. This one is in poem form, author unknown, but one of my favourites.
Legend of the Blue Willow
My Blue Willow ware plate has a story
Pictorial, painted in blue
From the land of tea and the tea plant
And the little brown man with a queue.
Whatever the food to be served
Romance does enter the feast
If you only pay heed to the legend
On the old china plate from the East.
Koong-Shee was a mandarin's daughter
And Chang was her sweetheart ah me
For surely her father's accountant
Might never wed pretty Koong-Shee.
So Chang was expelled from the compound
The beautiful alliance to break
And pretty Koong-Shee was imprisoned
In a little blue house by the lake.
The Dour old mandarin reasoned
It was time that his daughter should wed
And the groom of his choosing shall banish
That silly romance in her head.
While friends of Koong-Shee imagined
In symbols the dress she should wear
Her husband to be sat thinking
She should ride in a gold wedding chair.
He was busily plotting and planning
When a message was brought him one day
Young Chang had invaded the palace
And taken his promised away.
They were over the bridge when he saw them
They were passing the big willow tree
And a boat at the edge of the water
Stood waiting for Chang and Koong-Shee.
The furious mandarin followed
The groom with revenge in his eyes
But the little boat danced on the water
And travelled away with the prize.
But vengeance pursued to their shelter
And burned the pagoda, they say--
From out of the flames rose the lovers
A pair of doves winging away.
They fled toward the Western heaven
The pretty Koong-Shee and her Chang
Or so says the famous old legend
From the land of the Yangtze Kiang.
I couldn't be one to deny it
For the little blue dove and her mate
Forever are flying together
Across my Blue Willow ware plate.
Thomas Minton developed and engraved the design, after the legend, in Staffordshire,UK in 1780. For over 200 years the Willow Pattern has been produced by nearly every British Pottery Manufacturer, including Royal Worcester, Spode, Adams, Wedgewood, Davenport, Booth, Royal Doulton, and countless others. Changes in the pattern have been slight over the years, and usually the border treatment is altered. No other type of china is more attractive than a really good piece of willow. But, nothing can be uglier than a cheap imitation with blips and blobs, rather than trees and bridges. This pattern has been reproduced badly, more than any other design in history.

Padden Citys Old Blue Willow

Southern Potteries Dark Red Willow

Worcester Willow Pattern 1912

Booths Real Old Willow
Blue Willow China
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03-11-2005 08:29 PM
Rafe is my DS's name, after his daddy, Ralph.
((HUGS))
Aly:-)
Blue Willow China
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03-16-2005 12:06 AM

Blue Willow China
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03-16-2005 03:06 AM

Blue Willow China
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04-05-2005 11:42 PM

Sandwich Plate Bump!
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04-20-2005 02:35 AM
Blue Willow China
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09-04-2005 09:34 AM
forest!!!
Hopefully Ms Rafesgirl will see your question!!!
The folks who know the truth , aren't talking.
The ones who don't have a clue,
...you can't shut them up. ~Tom Waites~
I myself am made entirely of flaws, stitched together with good intentions.
- Augusten Burroughs
Blue Willow China
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03-25-2006 11:36 AM
might as well give 'er a bump!!!
Death is certain...
Life is not...
I myself am made entirely of flaws, stitched together with good intentions.
- Augusten Burroughs
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05-13-2006 05:08 AM
You can never rise above the image that you have
of yourself
in your own mind.
I myself am made entirely of flaws, stitched together with good intentions.
- Augusten Burroughs
Blue Willow China
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08-12-2006 07:21 AM
My face is a mask I order to say nothing...
about the fragile feelings hiding in my soul.
-Glenn Lazore
I myself am made entirely of flaws, stitched together with good intentions.
- Augusten Burroughs
Blue Willow China
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09-03-2006 03:00 PM
My grandparents had a set of blue willow that was their daily use stuff and it was mixed in with some "coaching scenes" china. Anyway, when they passed away I spoke for the blue willow. I finally got around to packing it up yesterday to take with me and there are easily 250 pieces; gravy boats, serving platters, butter dishes, windmill salt and peper shakers, trivets, clocks, napkin rings, a table cloth, napkins, the works! They are all from mixed manufacturers over a century of collecting, some still with the price tags on them 🙂
I think we plan on assembling one nice large set of 16 in one name for ourselves and then selling the rest. There are probably at least three more complete sets of other names and then multiple single pieces that might be of value to someone looking to replace one plate or saucer or something.
Names include, but not limited to: Allerton, Johnson Bros Ironstone, Maestricht from Holland, Steventon Burslem, British Anchor, and Celebrate. Others just say "made in england," or "made in Japan," some stamped in glaze and others molded right into the porcelain.
I think there are complete sets of the Allerton, Johnson Bros, and Steventon with random other pieces of the others. The question is, assuming we'd like to keep the most valuable set for ourselves, which one should we keep? Is it kosher to mix a few; like for instance if we wanted to keep the Allerton set but the Johnson Bros has an oil lamp and gravy boat that we like, is it gauche or just as proper as if they were the same name?
Blue Willow China
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09-03-2006 10:55 PM
Blue Willow China
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10-14-2006 10:59 AM
My face is a mask I order to say nothing...
about the fragile feelings hiding in my soul.
-Glenn Lazore
I myself am made entirely of flaws, stitched together with good intentions.
- Augusten Burroughs
Blue Willow China
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11-20-2006 02:30 PM

Blue Willow China
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03-31-2007 07:21 AM
http://www.littlekenadie.com/main.html
I myself am made entirely of flaws, stitched together with good intentions.
- Augusten Burroughs
Blue Willow China
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04-19-2007 02:18 PM
Blue Willow China
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05-06-2007 05:59 AM
Blue Willow China
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05-07-2007 11:42 AM
Blue Willow China
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05-18-2007 11:18 PM
2007: Granny goes to jail. Read my predictions and tales of eBay misadventure.
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05-26-2007 10:28 AM
Blue Willow China
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10-30-2007 01:59 PM
