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The story is based on the Japanese fairy tale “The Green Willow” and other ancient fairy tales originating in China about the constellations that tell the story of two lovers separated and envied by gods for their love. The lovers can only meet once a year when the stars align.
Is the Willow Pattern Chinese?
The Willow Pattern was a blue and white transfer-printed composite design which brought together Buddhist imagery, pagodas, landscapes, birds and trees from Chinese porcelain. The pattern is said to be woven around a romantic story of star-crossed lovers eloping together.
Is Blue Willow Chinese or Japanese?
1. Blue Willow china originated in England. Even though the Blue Willow pattern has a Chinese look and story (more on that later), it was actually created in England in 1780 by engraver Thomas Minton. Then, Minton sold the design to potter Thomas Turner who mass-produced the pattern on earthenware.
Was Blue Willow made in Japan?
From 1921 to 1941, the pieces read Made in Japan or Japan. Those made between 1948-1953 read Occupied Japan. Blue Willow once was popular in restaurants where a heavier type divided plate china was utilized. These were sometimes called grill plates.
What is my Blue Willow China worth?
Here are a few examples of values for recently sold Blue Willow pieces: An antique Blue Willow soup tureen from an unknown manufacturer sold in early 2020 for $300. A matched set of a Blue Willow pitcher and wash bowl sold in 2020 for $195.
Does Blue Willow china have lead in it?
Question: Are Blue Willow Dishes Lead Free? Answer: Um, no. In fact most of them have incredibly high levels of lead (in a range that I would consider as not safe to eat off of.)Jul 21, 2018.
What is the original Willow pattern?
The Willow pattern is a distinctive and elaborate chinoiserie pattern used on ceramic kitchen/housewares. Many different Chinese-inspired landscape patterns were at first produced in this way, both on bone china or porcellanous wares, and on white earthenware or pearlware.
What is the story behind Blue Willow china?
The Legend of the Blue Willow Tso Ling was the father of a beautiful girl, Kwang-se, who was the promised bride of an old but wealthy merchant. The girl, however, fell in love with Chang, her father’s clerk. The lovers eloped across the sea to the cottage on the island.
How do I know if my old dishes are worth anything?
Dishes usually have a “back stamp” on the back which identifies the name of the manufacturer. This same marking may reveal the name of the city or the country where the plate was made, and some even reveal a pattern name or the date when it was produced. Do an Internet search to determine an appoximate value.
How old is the Blue Willow pattern?
The original Willow pattern was created in 1780 when British potter Thomas Turner and engraver Thomas Minton combined a number of popular Chinese pottery patterns. By the early 19th Century, more than 200 potteries were producing variations of the design.
What is the blue and white china pattern called?
“Blue and white pottery” (Chinese: 青花; pinyin: qīng-huā; lit. ‘Blue flowers/patterns’) covers a wide range of white pottery and porcelain decorated under the glaze with a blue pigment, generally cobalt oxide.Blue and white pottery. Blue and white porcelain Literal meaning “blue and white porcelain” showTranscriptions.
How can you tell an old Chinese?
Tips for Determining Type Hold the china up to the light. According to Noritake, bone china will be significantly more translucent than other types of porcelain. Examine the color. Noritake also notes that the color of bone china tends to be more ivory than white. Listen to the piece.
What is the willow pattern rhyme?
‘Two birds flying high, A Chinese vessel, sailing by. A bridge with three men, sometimes four, A willow tree, hanging o’er. A Chinese temple, there it stands, Built upon the river sands.
What is the most valuable blue and white china?
The Most Expensive Porcelain In 12 July, 2005, an exceptionally rare and specially-themed blue and white Yuan era jar was sold for £15.7 million at Christie’s in London. It became the most expensive Asian work of art.
How do you display Blue Willow china?
Mount Blue Willow serving pieces on plate hangers and group them into a rectangular arrangement. Install a huge wall frame around the collection so it appears as though your china is in a bas-relief still life. Hang a mirror across the room from the framed Blue Willow statement to reflect the collection.
What is Blue Onion china?
Blue Onion (German: Zwiebelmuster) is a porcelain tableware pattern for dishware originally manufactured by Meissen porcelain since the 18th century, and since the last 19th Century has been copied by other companies.
How can you tell if ceramic is Lead-free?
Look for a warning label. If the pottery was manufactured for use only as a decorative item, it may have a warning stamped onto the clay bottom such as “Not for Food Use—May Poison Food.” Do not use items with this type of warning for cooking, serving, or storing food or drinks.
What dishes do not contain Lead?
Top six safest dinnerware brands to use at home (not made in China) Glass Anchor Hocking Lead-free Dishes – Made in USA. Ceramic Fiestaware Lead-free Dishes – Made in USA. Glass Libbey Crisa Moderno Lead-free Dinnerware – Made in USA & Mexico. Porcelain Sur La Table Lead-free Dinnerware Set – Made in Turkey.
Do old dishes have Lead in them?
Many of the old glazes used on antique or vintage china contain some level of lead. And those pieces of china with decorations atop the glaze rather than beneath the glaze may contain lead.
Why is it called Willow pattern?
Willow Pattern. The term “Willow” is applied in a general way to many of the copies of the blue-and-white porcelain imported into England from China during the last half of the eighteenth century, Since the improvement of British pottery the trade with China naturally ceased.
Is the willow pattern story true?
The Willow Pattern itself illustrates a bogus but believable Chinese legend—downmarket boy elopes with upmarket girl and they end up being transformed into a pair of doves, the main elements of the story laid out within the ornate pattern, including that all-important willow tree.
Is Willow pattern Japanese?
The Willow Pattern Story The design is thought to have been inspired by a Japanese fairy tale called The Green Willow and Chinese variants of it which tells of two thwarted lovers. Then, in 1849, an article called ‘The Story of the Common Willow Pattern Plate’ was published in The Family Friend magazine.
