“It is mingled with our earliest recollections; it is like the picture of an old friend and companion whose portrait we see everywhere, but of whose likeness we never grow weary. Unchanged are its charms, whether we view it as a flat oval dish–rounded into a cheese-plate–hollowed out into a soup-tureen, or contorted into the shape of a ladle!”
“The Story of the Common Willow-Pattern Plate,” The Family Friend vol. 1 (London: Houlston and Stoneman, 1849), 124-127 and 151-154.
Daisy Makeig-Jones is perhaps best known for her Fairyland Lustre wares, lavishly-decorated pieces which depicted fantastical scenes of her own imagination. Technically difficult to produce, these exquisite works of art were afforded by the wealthy and appreciated by all. Wedgwood Fairyland Lustres’ whimsical, and often absurd scenes, provided an escape for a consumer class in the throes of World War I. Upon closer inspection of this bowl in the ‘Poplar Trees’’ pattern, it is easy to understand how one can find themself lost in Makeig-Jones’s designs.
Essay
The ‘Blue Willow’ pattern is timeless, inspired by 18th-century Chinese blue and white porcelains and appearing on English transferwares since the early 19th century. Thomas Minton is credited with creating the standard pattern as we know it today circa 1780; from there, all the major English potteries, and some American ones, began producing ‘Blue Willow’ transferwares. The Wedgwood factory had been producing the pattern since 1806, using the very design seen on this bowl.
An amalgamation of Asian design motifs, ‘Blue Willow’ is a Western fabrication that transported Europeans to a mythical Far East. Though each factory’s design differed slightly, universal elements were always present: a weeping willow, a pagoda, three figures on a bridge, a figure on a boat, and a pair of birds in flight. Accompanying the ‘Blue Willow’ pattern was a tale, crystallized in 1849 in the London publication The Family Friend, of starcrossed lovers in the tradition of Romeo and Juliet. Koong-se, a wealthy Mandarin’s daughter, and Chang, a poor clerk, flee together when her father forbids their union. They are eventually caught and die, but their spirits transform into two doves, symbolizing eternal love.
The story of ‘Blue Willow’ would have captivated Wedgwood designer Daisy Makeig-Jones, who often made up stories for her own designs. In this Fairyland Lustre bowl, Daisy places herself within the lineage of ‘Blue Willow’ with her own whimsical take on the pattern, pairing it with a mirrored bronze lustre glaze highlighted with raised coral enamels. A lush border of chestnut leaves with Chinese lanterns encircles the rim and frames the scene. The pattern is repeated on the inside in a lovely lavender glaze against a mother-of-pearl lustre background. All the traditional elements of ‘Blue Willow’ are present, yet Daisy eschews the traditional blue-and-white palette to present a wholly new take.
BT
Condition
Excellent. Area of gilt wear to rim measuring approximately 1 1/4 in. in length, with a tiny spot of the white ceramic body showing through (0.2 cm). Small area of copper discoloration to body (see images). Central roundel with some wear to gilding and lavender glaze.
For a detailed condition report, please contact us.
Literature
“The Story of the Common Willow-Pattern Plate,” The Family Friend vol. 1 (London: Houlston and Stoneman, 1849), 124-127 and 151-154.
Una des Fontaines, Wedgwood Fairyland Lustre: the Work of Daisy-Makeig Jones (New York: Born-Hawes, 1975), p. 132, 180-181, 200-201.
The ‘Blue Willow’ pattern is timeless, inspired by 18th-century Chinese blue and white porcelains and appearing on English transferwares since the early 19th century. Thomas Minton is credited with creating the standard pattern as we know it today circa 1780; from there, all the major English potteries, and some American ones, began producing ‘Blue Willow’ transferwares. The Wedgwood factory had been producing the pattern since 1806, using the very design seen on this bowl.
An amalgamation of Asian design motifs, ‘Blue Willow’ is a Western fabrication that transported Europeans to a mythical Far East. Though each factory’s design differed slightly, universal elements were always present: a weeping willow, a pagoda, three figures on a bridge, a figure on a boat, and a pair of birds in flight. Accompanying the ‘Blue Willow’ pattern was a tale, crystallized in 1849 in the London publication The Family Friend, of starcrossed lovers in the tradition of Romeo and Juliet. Koong-se, a wealthy Mandarin’s daughter, and Chang, a poor clerk, flee together when her father forbids their union. They are eventually caught and die, but their spirits transform into two doves, symbolizing eternal love.
The story of ‘Blue Willow’ would have captivated Wedgwood designer Daisy Makeig-Jones, who often made up stories for her own designs. In this Fairyland Lustre bowl, Daisy places herself within the lineage of ‘Blue Willow’ with her own whimsical take on the pattern, pairing it with a mirrored bronze lustre glaze highlighted with raised coral enamels. A lush border of chestnut leaves with Chinese lanterns encircles the rim and frames the scene. The pattern is repeated on the inside in a lovely lavender glaze against a mother-of-pearl lustre background. All the traditional elements of ‘Blue Willow’ are present, yet Daisy eschews the traditional blue-and-white palette to present a wholly new take.
BT
Excellent. Area of gilt wear to rim measuring approximately 1 1/4 in. in length, with a tiny spot of the white ceramic body showing through (0.2 cm). Small area of copper discoloration to body (see images). Central roundel with some wear to gilding and lavender glaze.
For a detailed condition report, please contact us.
“The Story of the Common Willow-Pattern Plate,” The Family Friend vol. 1 (London: Houlston and Stoneman, 1849), 124-127 and 151-154.
Una des Fontaines, Wedgwood Fairyland Lustre: the Work of Daisy-Makeig Jones (New York: Born-Hawes, 1975), p. 132, 180-181, 200-201.
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