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.....)
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.....)
Royal Copenhagen, was founded in 1775 to serve the queen of Denmark, introducing its first new tableware set of the 21st century. The chrysanthemums are their trademark design for centuries. Danish designer Louise Campbell even called for a departure from the company's classic blue. In its place: tangerine, turquoise and midnight black Royal Copenhagen held a monopoly on the "Blue Fluted" name. Royal Copenhagen's exclusive Flora Danica dinnerware pattern and its Blue Fluted porcelain pattern, first produced in 1775 and still hand-painted today. (Read More.....)
