During the 18th century there was a wave of popularity of Chinese hand-painted chinoiserie. The many patterns of Chinese landscapes and scences made their way on hand panted wallpaper, chinoiserie furniture, and of course on the china. Themost famous transfer ware pattern was developed in the late 18th century by Thomas Minton of the Caughley Factory in Shropshire, England. His Blue Willow pattern combined Oriental images into a romantic scene that has been manufactured for over 220 years . The Spode factory produced the pattern in England in the late 1790s that turned to be popular in England, but also in America. It was found that Blue and white were the most popular colors for dishes in the 19th century from historical sites. In fact many people are avid collectors of the Blue Willow Pattern today. The Blue Willow pattern is not an exact copy of a Chinese pattern but features several traditional Chinese designs. The pattern has changed in variations over time but the basic elements are the temple or palace, a footbridge with three people, a boat with another figure, a willow tree, and the two birds. (Read More.....)
Some of the most absolutely stunning rooms have patterns influencing the the overall design of the room. Transferware is known for their intricate details and ornate style. 18th Century design is often filled with ornate chinoserie patterns which you can replicate today in your home. If you are considering a room that reflects your transferware collection, consider toile wallpaper, throw pillows or drapes in a pattern that is take off your favorite plate pattern. Work with the same colors of your plate pattern, but also consider bring in the opposite colors of the color wheel to give it that extra pop! (Read More.....)
Before the transferware process of printing was developed, each piece would be hand decorated. The process of producing one set was laborious and costly. Once the mass production of transfer printing came about, middle class families could enjoy dinnerware sets similar to that found in the higher class families but at an affordable price. (Read More.....)
Is it important for Transferware to have the maker’s name on it?
No, infact, many pieces that are made by unknown artists are very much collectable. Transferware value is determined by demand, date, quality of the printing, and rarity. Unmarked transferware can be difficult to determine its origin, but you can often trace a piece, or make a guess on the , glaze, styling and decoration technique. Our motto is collect what patterns you love, and they become valuable in your eyes. (BLUE-TRANSFER-WARE-TRANSFERWARE-HAM-TURKEY-PLATTER-Ebay-Seller-dmcb12564) (Read More.....)
There is much evidence that black transferware was produced as early as 1752, although most of the black transferware was produced during the Aestentic movement. Popular in multi-colored patterns, the neutral color combined well with many colors. The color was extremely popular with pottery, and followed suit with its popularity in transferware. ( c 1882 Black Transferware Platter Hall Farm Cows Pigs Ebay Seller nancys niche) (Vtg Rust Red & Black Spode Copeland Transferware Plate Ebay Seller nancys niche) (Read More.....)
Decorating with China and plates is much like decorating with picture frames. In a previous post I reccomended cutting out the shapes of your plates (or pictures) with newspaper and arranging them on the floor first and then working your way to the wall. (Read More.....)
During the 1820s, they found that blue was found blur naturally. It became quite popular among collectors, and held in the highest regard by many and detested by others. Dispite the differences in opinion, large quantities of the transferware were produced and today collected by thousands yearly. Manufactures of the plates figured ways of enhancing the blurry plates - “by instilling lime or chloride of ammonia in the sagger while glazing.” (Williams, Flow Blue China, 1971, pg 5) Like it or hate it, flow blue is here to stay (Read More.....)
The easiest way to decorate is to add patterns and interest, and one way to do that is to add fabric punches around your room. Accent chairs , throw pillows, valences, drapes and wallpaper are all ways of adding some interest to your room. Working within your color tones, recover those chair seats in your dining room, or get seat cushions that work within your scheme. Adding a vase, or a coordinating chandelier shades are small ways of pulling together a scheme. If you love that transferware, build your room around it. (Read More.....)
