Antique Plate World

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The antique porcelain is basically held to be important because of its artistic and historical values. Because they usually come in expensive prices, they deserve to be well taken care of. Culturally speaking, these antique pieces are very significant. But then again human negligence along with a couple of natural disasters or accidents can cause them to get stained or worse, damaged.

Because collecting them is such a popular hobby, it matters that you know of the tips on how to make them last longer. When properly done, you can expect them to last longer that you can even pass them on to your next generation of kin.

The first rule in cleaning your antique porcelain is to never put it in a dishwasher. Sometimes you get so tied up with another task that you want the cleaning procedure to be immediately done. But if you have antique porcelain plates, the dishwasher can just damage them. You see, its temperature can get too hot and the prolonged exposure of your antique pieces to this kind of environment can wear them down and cause them to crack. Also, fragile pieces are more prone to chipping and cracking especially when they get all tossed around during the wash cycle.

Therefore, wash you antique plates by hand and use only warm water and mild detergent cleaner. Hot water and a very strong detergent can destroy the patterns. Avoid using anything abrasive. Use only a soft cloth. For heavy scrubbing, use the baking soda.

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Never rub the stains. Instead, create a solution of 1 part water and 2 parts peroxide. Use a q-tip to dab the solution.

If you want things done by a professional, you will be happy to note that there are actually shops that do this. Professional porcelain restoration is a course training that is offered in colleges and universities to train students in ceramic and porcelain restoration. The students are awarded certificates and diplomas and you can trust them to have the ample knowledge on restoring different materials aside from porcelain such as the majolica, ceramic, earthenware, terra cotta, plaster, and clay.

Anyhow, you can always find a shop that specializes in the restoration procedures that are definitely safe and worth applying to your antique porcelain collections. These professionals should be informed of the historical period of the item to be restored so as to be able to retain the surface and color patterns.

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Antique dishes exude a charm that makes your dining experience a truly classy one.

Such kitchenware is decades old and transports you back to the classic era. When you place these antique dishes on your dinner table, the entire ambience of the room changes. Time stands still.

Enrich Your Dinner With Antique Dishes and Kitchen

You’re no longer in the modern, fast age. You actually begin to feel the vibes of ancient traditions.

Status Symbols

It’s no wonder that antique dishes are getting popular. They certainly are spectacular things to have on your dinner table.

People want to own them as a status symbol. Antique dishes add to the appeal of their kitchenware.

Anyone who values the art of dining knows how important these dishes are. People buy them no matter how expensive they might be. It’s not the cost that matters; it’s the pride of owning them that matters!

Bringing Alive The Heritage!

Visit any heritage hotel of your city and you’ll get a chance to dine in antique dishes. These are the oldest places that have managed to retain the rich and diverse legacy not only of kitchenware, but also of the entire culture.

Enter a Heritage Palace and you’ll be awed by the grandeur of the walls and furniture. As you make yourself comfortable on one of the classic dining chairs, you’ll notice that the dishes, set impeccably, invite you to a scrumptious dinner.

The notable feature of such palaces and hotels is that they serve you in a traditional style in various kinds of antique dishes.

Each hotel maintains its style of serving based on the heritage of the particular region.

Many hotels transform the entire interiors to create a replica of the ancient era. They use sheer white, embroidered tablecloths with complementary tablemats.

The antique dishes and plates are set on the table with attention to every detail and symmetry to lure the customers to dine on them.

Even the cutlery in many heritage hotels is antique, thus, maintaining the richness in serving style. The entire dinner table looks so inviting that even if you’re not hungry, you’d still sit for a glass of wine!

The Antique Matter

What’s the secret of the amazing durability of antique kitchenware? Well, it’s porcelain! This material is a blend of kaolin, which is white clay, and petuntse, a crystalline substance. Porcelain is hard, dense, and resistant to moisture, scratches, and stains. Most of the antique dishes that you admire for their flawless finish and low maintenance are made from porcelain.

Interested in antique kitchenware?

Internet is the best place to look for it. You can have a look at all the antique pieces, along with their price.

There is a vast collection of antique kitchenware and dishes available in different shapes and sizes. Some are so beautifully crafted; you just can’t help buy them!

Bring home a classic set of antique dishes and set them on your chic dinner table. You’ll get a perfect blend of antiquity and class.

Author: Julie Casper

Julie Casper has a whole collection of Antique Dishes and her friends thinks she is crazy for collecting so many. Come and see her fine China Dishes at her personally run blog site!

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Collecting and History of Blue Willow China List

THE HISTORY OF BLUE WILLOW

I have seen credit given for the willow china pattern given to at least two different people. One would be Thomas Turner who is said to have introduced the famous design in about 1780.

The original copper plate for his design was engraved by Thomas Minton and is still preserved at Coalport China.

The most reported story says that the willow design was the creation of Josiah Spode, a derivation of an original Chinese pattern called Mandarin. Spode developed his willow pattern sometime around 1790.

The traditional willow design always features a large beautiful Chinese home with a willow tree, small bridge with 3 figures, a humble servants house at the foot of the bridge, a small Chinese boat & of course the famous love birds above the willow tree.

The romantic lore of the design could have added to it’s popularity over the years.

The story goes something like this…….

Long ago, in the days when China was ruled by emperors, a Chinese mandarin, Tso Ling, lived in the magnificent pagoda under the branches of the apple tree on the right of the bridge, over which droops the famous willow tree, and in front of which is seen the graceful lines of the fence.

Tso Ling was the father of a beautiful girl, Kwang-se, who was the promised bride of an old but wealthy merchant.

The girl, however, fell in love with Chang, her father’s clerk. The lovers eloped across the sea to the cottage on the island.

The mandarin pursued and caught the lovers and was about to have them killed when the gods transformed them into a pair of turtle doves.

These are seen gazing into each other’s eyes at the top of the design.

A lengthy and old Staffordshire poem of the pattern concludes with the verse: “In the oft quoted plate two birds are perceived, High in the heaven above: These are the spirits of Chang and Kwang-se, A twin pair of ever in love”.

Companies That Produce Willow China

Due to Spode’s obvious success with the Blue Willow design, many, many pottery & china companies went on to produce some version of it. Here is a list of manufacturers that I am familiar with that produced or still do produce Blue Willow.

Adams Adderly Alfred Meakin Allerton Barratt Booths Buffalo (restaurantware & hotelware) Burslem Churchill Coalport Cuthbertson Homer Laughlin John Maddox & Sons Johnson Brothers McCoy Pottery Myott Made in China Made in Holland Made in Japan Maruta Moriyama Pottery (Japan) Norcrest Ridgeway Royal China Royal Doulton Royal Wessex Scio Pottery (Ohio) Spode Staffordshire Syracuse China(Restaurantware & Hotelware) Wedgewood Wood & Sons

VARIETY OF WILLOW ITEMS

As the popularity of Blue Willow grew & grew over the years many companies begin to make a variety of merchandise to coordinate with the customer’s china pieces.

You can find just about anything in Blue Willow including but not limited to: glassware, wallpaper, linens , tablecloths & towels, flatware & cutlery, picture frames, piggy banks, cookware, enamelware, fabric, tins, needlepoint pillows & kits, planters, candles, switchplates, items for bed & bath, soap dishes, even paper products including paper plated & napkins!

Besides numerous price guides written to aid collectors, there is a child’s story book entitled BLUE WILLOW by Doris Gates. You might enjoy recipes from The Blue Willow Inn Bible of Southern Cooking.

In 2005 there was even an animated short movie made in New Zealand that tells Blue Willow’s story of love & family betrayal.

The willow design is also made in red (sometimes called red transferware, or pink willow), green, brown & multicolored.

There are many Blue Willow pieces now being made in China. These are nice pieces to fill in your collection with & much more reasonable than antique or vintage pieces.

There are sellers however that try to pass these newly produced items off as vintage or antique.

Be sure you are buying from a reputable sellers.Also be sure what you are buying is actually blue willow. I have seen Flow Blue, Blue Onion, Blue Calico & other Blue Transferware advertised as Blue Willow.

The most valuable Blue Willow items are the early English, Staffordshire & Spode pieces. The Mid Century Made in Japan pieces are growing in popularity as well & can command a good price on unusual styles.

There are quite a few restaurantware collectors out there too, so the heavy restaurant weight china usually does well.

I hope this has given you a little insight into collecting Blue Willow China ~ Have Fun!

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Author: Luanne Oda

Luanne R Oda aka NANALULU nanaluluslinensandhandkerchiefs.com

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