Page 19 - 1017

October, 2017 The Antique Shoppe Page 19
The Legend of Blue Willow
DELAND

ANTIQUE SHOPS & MORE Was an Advertising Ploy
By Larry LeMasters
LeMasters’ Antique News Service

ANGEVINE’S
FINE SILVER, INC.
Over 30,000 Pieces of Sterling
DeLand’s Oldest Antiques Shop

Asparagus Servers to Sardine Forks
Baby Cups to Tea Services

3 2899 S. Woodland Blvd.
4 4 DeLand, FL 32720
386-734-3553
M-F 10AM-5PM; SAT 10AM-4PM
Purchase on the web at:
angevinesfinesilver.com
1

ANGEVINE’S JEWELRY, INC.
Graduate Gemologist, GIA Almost whimsical Chinese export Blue Willow figural cow butter dish,
Fine selection of Antique, Estate depicting the entire love story of Koon-see and Chang.
This unmarked, vintage dish is valued at $250
& New Jewelry. Buy & Sell
Authorized Moorcroft Retailer
Jewelry Appraisals while you wait
1/2 By Appointment or nearly 250 years, the Blue Willow pattern has remained the most widely recognized
Family Owned & Operated Fof all the transfer-printed tableware patterns of English ceramics.
Since 1959 Transfer-print or transfer ware is a style of ceramics that uses a transfer printed,
Hours M-F 10-5, Sat. 10-1 decorative technique, which was developed in England in the mid-1700s around
Staffordshire. Transfer ware begins with an engraved copper plate, which is used to print
2899 S. Woodland Blvd.
DeLand, FL the pattern on tissue paper. The tissue paper then transfers the wet ink to the ceramic
dflawless@embarqmail.com surface. The pottery piece is then fired in a low temperature kiln, fixing the transferred
(386) 734-8553 2 pattern. Transfer patters can be produced under or over glaze, but the under-printing
method is more durable since the glaze protects the print. Prior to transfer printing,
all ceramic ware was hand painted, a laborious and costly process. Transfer printing,
developed at the time of the early Industrial Revolution, made ceramic ware affordable
to the masses.
Designed two centuries ago, Willowware’s appeal has never diminished thanks in a
large part to its blend of classic and Asian elements—a willow tree, orange tree, pagoda-
like buildings, three figures on a bridge, and two birds.
Although called “Blue Willow” because of its cobalt blue color on a white background,
Willowware has been printed in several colors, including red and polychrome. The
pattern has shown up on nearly all pottery forms, including Majolica, flow blue, and
Staffordshire. And the popular Willow pattern has been replicated on many diverse non-
ceramic items.
As with many popular collectibles, the exact birth of Blue Willow is debated. Many
hold that Thomas Turner at Caughley in Shropshire, England, first created the pattern in
1779. Turner was supposedly copying Nanking (Chinese) patterns, which he sought to
reproduce using a blue under-glaze design. The original Blue Willow copper plate was
crafted by Thomas Minton and now, worn to the thinness of paper, is kept as a piece of
English history at Coalport.
Continued >

Vintage Furniture, Mid-Century Modern, Retro, Upcycled, Repurposed,
Rustic, Industrial, Antique, Primitives, Pottery, Vintage Lighting, 4
Vintage Clothing, Jewelry and Accessories!
Antique, Staffordshire
BlueWillow platter; 495.