Anyone like Blue Willow?

[daughteroftheKing]

The spout of this pot was peeking on the side of my entry pix in the English Teacup thread, and Geekgirl asked for a closer look.

It's a Sadler pot, a college graduation gift from parents in 1979. Swirls on cups, pots, bowls, pitchers (most anything) make me nearly swoon . I don't remember how many ounces but serves quite a few little cupfuls. No gilding and not a thin bone porcelain, but it's quite nice and my absolute favorite tea accessory with many memories.

Sorry if the pix are a bit dark - it was late when I snapped these and didn't have secondary light source out.

[Victoria]

Very lovely! Thanks for sharing with us!

[Geekgirl]

it's so pretty. The set at the antique shop that I want is (I think) actually an espresso/turkish coffee set. It has a small upright tea(coffee) pot and the cups are small, rounded and very delicate. IIRC the asking price was several hundred dollars. Ha! too rich for my cost/want gut check ratio. That's a LOT of poppets!

[daughteroftheKing]

Thank you both!
Whoa, Geek, that's too rich for my blood, too. You may not find another set that stirs your heart quite as much as that one, but we can't spend all our money on pretty things. Someday you'll find just the right piece/set.

I've had a bit of a problem with looking for the odd piece of Willow ware. (It's ok, the addiction is getting more under control. ) Eight plates hang on either side of my dining room window and other grouping on another wall...all different...and a few more that never found a home in this house and I haven't figured out how to bless someone else with just a few mis-matched pieces.
This stuff is what sits on one bookcase shelf in the front room:

But really, I can stop anytime I want to.

[geeber1]

Beautiful!

[Victoria]

Hey dotK!! I missed the collection pic!! Very nice!

When you get a chance I'd like to see the pot on the far right edge.
Now that looks like my style.

[Chip]

Blue Willow is THE classic blue and white. I have a few old pieces, non tea. My only Blue Willow teaware is that cheap knockoff stuff that is all over the place today. I still like it and use it w/o fear of breaking something valuable.

I always liked the story/myth about it, it is just not a blue fish on a pot.

[Salsero]

But really, I can stop anytime I want to.

Now that you know this, there is no reason at all to stop! Beautiful things. Thanks for posting about them.

OK, Chip, do I have to Google the story or someone going to tell me at bedtime?

[Chip]

But really, I can stop anytime I want to.

Now that you know this, there is no reason at all to stop! Beautiful things. Thanks for posting about them.

OK, Chip, do I have to Google the story or someone going to tell me at bedtime?

You probably already googled!!!! Besides, it would be quicker than my typing anyway. But the basics are a young couple eloping and the FOB tries to find them to intervene, but their love cannot be denied. I hope that is about right?

BTW, dotK, your pieces are really outstanding! So superior to the cheap stuff out there. The detail and positioning are great.

[daughteroftheKing]

It's been a few days since spending any time on TC; sorry for the delay.
Vic - I'll get a better picture of that full-color willow pattern (they call it "gaudy") posted after the weekend. I have absolutely no idea what has happened to my USB connection for the camera, but at work can put the little memory thingy directly into the printer and download it.

Thank you for the compliments, all. I really do enjoy my willow-ware, but had to put a stop to some of the growing amount of stuff in my life. (Although I wouldn't mind finding a gaiwan with the pattern on it. Has to be cheap and really pretty. Am I too demanding??)

The legend of Blue Willow:
A wealthy mandarin had a beautiful daughter Koong-Se, who was betrothed to a Duke but was really in love with the lowly accountant Chang. The fence in the pattern was built to keep the 2 from seeing one another. The father was so angry, that Chang went into hiding in the little house by the water. In time, Koong-Se & Chang ran away together, with the father & fiance & teacher(?) in pursuit (3 men on the bridge, each carrying different items denoting their distinct roles). The boatman took the 2 away to hide on a far-away island, where (alas) they were eventually found by the father. In his anger, he killed them, but the gods, touched by their love, immortalized them as 2 doves, flying together forever.

It's all terribly sappy (as am I!) and is actually of English origin, but it's no wonder I fell in love with blue willow when I was just a little girl.

[Victoria]

Awww that's a beautiful story! And gives me new appreciation for this pattern.
Thanks for sharing.

[daughteroftheKing]

... cheap knockoff stuff that is all over the place today.

The knockoff stuff has always been with us, a long-time part of Americana. In fact, I think the blue willow pattern is the copy-of-a-copy-of-a-copy. If you catch episodes of the old Bonanza and Gunsmoke series, you'll see them drinking coffee out of blue willow cups!

[Chip]

... cheap knockoff stuff that is all over the place today.

The knockoff stuff has always been with us, a long-time part of Americana. In fact, I think the blue willow pattern is the copy-of-a-copy-of-a-copy. If you catch episodes of the old Bonanza and Gunsmoke series, you'll see them drinking coffee out of blue willow cups!

Yes, very true!

[Janine]

The set at the antique shop that I want is (I think) actually an espresso/turkish coffee set. It has a small upright tea(coffee) pot and the cups are small, rounded and very delicate.

One note: I believe Turkish/Greek/Armenian/Arabic/Byzantine/whatever-you-want-to-call-it coffee should not be served out of a pot - but straight from the brewing/boiling brass coffee maker into cups. The set may be for something different.

I really like the willow pattern things you have shown us!