Look for Clues About the Date
- Some new pieces are unmarked, although they will often say “Made in China” or have another modern backstamp.
- Early Blue Willow pieces have a softer glaze and a lighter overall feel.
- Older pieces may have some signs of crazing or light cracking on the surface of the glaze.
How old is my Blue Willow china?
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.
How old is the willow pattern?
It was probably for Spode that the English Willow pattern was created and first produced perhaps around 1790, because it incorporates particular, distinctive features of earlier Chinese willow scenes which were already known and imitated at the Spode factory.
Who made the original Blue Willow?
Thomas Turner
During the 1780s, many intricate designs were inspired by and adapted from motifs that were hand painted on ceramic pieces imported from China to England. The Blue Willow pattern, first created by a man named Thomas Turner, became the most popular of these depictions.
What are the traditional colors for blue willow?
The Traditional Pattern Displayed in Other Colors The Willow Pattern is known to be recognized in the color blue but has been produced in other colors. Single monochrome colors were used, such as red, green, brown, black, pink, and mulberry. Also the Willow pattern was produced in polychrome or multicolor.
Is Blue Willow made in Japan?
Blue Willow (Made In Japan)
What is the story behind Blue Willow?
The Blue Willow pattern may be the most recognizable pattern of china ever produced, with a scene that tells the tale of two lovers. The design tells the legend of two star-crossed lovers. Long ago, a father and daughter lived in a magnificent pagoda under an apple tree.
Is 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.
What is the Blue Willow story?
Where is Churchill Blue Willow made?
England
This stoneware is made in England.
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.
Where does the Blue Willow pattern come from?
Buffalo Pottery Company of Buffalo, NY was the first in the United States to produce the Blue Willow pattern, in 1905. After, that many other American pottery companies started to produce Blue Willow items. Many companies produced restaurant dinnerware in Blue Willow and some foreign countries produced the restaurant ware for the United States .
How much is a blue willow tree worth?
It’s worth about $3-4. Buffalo China Company is credited with being the first American company to produce a version of the Blue Willow, and I just happen to have a couple of pieces by them. The “J” underneath the Buffalo China mark indicates that this piece dates to 1949.
What is Johnson Brothers pottery – antique marks?
Johnson Brothers Pottery – Antique Marks Crown over “Johnson Bros. / England”. Often appears with pattern name above. “ ROYAL IRONSTONE CHINA ” in an arch above royal coat of arms beneath which is “JOHNSON BROs / ENGLAND”.
Is blue willow pottery still in style?
If you just like the look of Blue Willow, these new versions are often crisper and more vivid than the originals. English pottery houses, Churchill, Johnson Brothers, and even Spode all still make this classic pattern that has existed for centuries.
