"During the 18th century, art and design in the form of silk, lacquerware and delicately painted porcelain began arriving in Britain from China. Britons became enamoured with the exotic aesthetic of what was considered a mysterious, far-away land.
The increasing demand for these Eastern goods led to the development of ‘Chinoiserie’, a desirable style which drew upon the imagery, patterns and textures of these imported goods. ‘Chinoiserie’ permeated many aspects of design, from crockery to wall coverings, furnishing to gardens and became an extraordinarily popular trend."
Today, I'd like to talk about a little bit about the joy of collecting things that inspire us, make us happy or have sentimental value. For me, it is willow pattern crockery. To date, all of the willow pattern crockery that I own has been acquired second-hand, and I have to agree with Agnes Repplier's quote above that there was such joy in the acquiring these pieces.
Do you know the willow pattern story? It is a beautiful love story about a pair of lovers, kept apart by the girl's cruel father. They ended up running away together, chased by three men (who you can always see running across the bridge). The lovers turned into a pair of doves, so that they may spend eternity together. You can always spot the two doves in the pattern. You can read the story in more detail here.
Both of my daughters have brought this story home from the school library as part of their reading program. We love reading it together and spotting the different elements of the story on our crockery.
Willow pattern china, as mentioned at the top of this post, took off in popularity in 18th century Britain, as part of their love affair with all things Chinese. You can find the willow pattern made by many different pottery houses. I don't have any Spode on Minton, but I do have Burleich Ware, William James, Alfred Meakin and Churchill brands. I'm not too fussy about brands really! I just love the pattern and if it is made in England then even better. I love to display some of my willow pattern pieces on some open shelves in the kitchen.
The beauty of collections, I believe, lies in the care and display of them. For me, though, they must also be functional and we use our plates, bowls and saucers daily. If you have something that you collect, do you put it on display? Is it displayed thematically or in order based on size? These are some of the things to think about when displaying your collection. If you truly love the things that you collect, why not consider making it a part of your decor? Many people add their collection to their walls, especially plates, hats or baskets. I wouldn't like this for my willow patterns though, because I love to use them. I have, however, seen some china plates turned into clocks and think that they look beautiful and timeless (pardon the pun!)
Do you collect things? If so, I'd love to hear about it in the comments.
Kirsty x
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