Flattening the Curve, Day 10

Hello everyone. First off, I have a question for you. Now that most of us here in the United States are becoming fully ensconced in the coronavirus (COVID-19) Stay Home, Stay Safe 'lifestyle', have you brushed your teeth, washed your face, gotten dressed, and eaten breakfast today? I hope you are able to eat something. I only ask because I have to remind myself to do those things.

Getting lost in all the confusion of this COVID-19 problem can take your spirit away, rob you of your senses, and make you forget to brush your teeth. Everything feels like a ball of confusion. And yet, we have to sit with it, don't we?

So today on the blog I'm taking a break from all the news, data and anxiety and sharing what I would normally call in the title 'Vintage Finds'.

Since I started my Etsy shop Vintage Tea Treasures I have become enamored with vintage English pottery and bone china. And through that activity I discovered the chinoiseries, or Chinese style midcentury home decor items. The quality of the items I find varies but the decorative theme is always a take on a classic idealized form.

For example this 9-1/2 inch Wedgwood plate, in the 'Eastern Flowers' pattern features three chrysanthemum floral bouquets around the perimeter of the plate and an open fenced area with another chrysanthemum in the center of the plate. The center flower has moss entwined around it, as does the smaller blue flower to the left of it.

Another of my favorite items to collect are the asian or Chinese style figurines. Traditionally they came in pairs but most of the ones I've found have long since lost their mate, like this one shown.

What I enjoy most about this figurine (and I find it to be true in all of the ones I've found thus far) is the dynamic pose and the interesting gestures.

The shape of the base indicates that perhaps this figurine is meant to be a bookend, however it is very lightweight so maybe this one and its' mate could have held up a few books (maybe three?) as pure decoration.

And who can resist the makeup? A 1930s 'Betty Boop' heart-shaped lip treatment and an oh so dramatic eye liner! Love that!

Well, I hope this peek into my obsession with chinoiserie style collectables diverted your mind, if only for a moment...

Stay well family and friends!

Styling A Vintage Hutch: Antique Chinoiserie Revival Dish ware

Hi Friends! As I was browsing through my favorite charity shop two summers ago a box of antique dishes caught my eye. I thought they looked very interesting but I had no idea what they were so I didn't purchase them.

Well, as it turns out, that box of dishes started my obsession with antique Chinoiserie Revival (c. late 1800s - early 1900s) dish ware. Not only did I go back to the shop and buy them, but I have been on the hunt for more Chinoiserie-themed antique dishes ever since. I finally have enough pieces of this incredible English-made tableware to 'sort of' style my midcentury James Mont limed oak hutch and I'm excited to share the result thus far, with you dear reader, here today.

As mentioned above, the box of dishes that started this new passion of mine consisted of several pieces of late 1880s Brownfield & Son antique pottery with an unknown pattern name. Two of the dinner plates, two teacups and a saucer are on the top shelf of the hutch. The remainder of the dishes are on the bottom shelf to the right. And here is a photo of all of the items together:



If you are fond of the distinctive look of Chinoiserie, you might appreciate the whimsically styled decorative urns, the vibrant chrysanthemum outer borders and the highly detailed inner borders that make up this pattern. If so, more details about this Brownfield pottery can be found in the popular blog post Vintage Finds: Antique Brownfield & Son Chinoiserie Revival Pottery.

Also on the top shelf of my hutch, between the two Brownfield plates is this Royal Doulton 9-3/4" plate (c. 1902-22, 1927-36) featuring a formidable bird of prey in a pattern called Pekin:

Note how similar the style and colors of the chrysanthemum flowers and the inside border on this plate are to the Brownfield pottery and the repetition of a stylized image in the center.

Directly below the Pekin plate, on the middle shelf of my hutch, are two pieces by Wood & Sons from their Woods Ware collection - a 9" plate in the Wincanton pattern, and a teacup in the Canton pattern, both produced around 1917:

Perhaps there has never been any chinaware more timeless or classic than those decorated in various traditional blue and white patterns. The pattern known as Blue Willow is probably the most popular and well known of all. And there are likely hundreds if not thousands of variations on the theme. For instance, while the Canton teacup explicitly bears a version of the quintessential Blue Willow pattern, the Wincanton plate is quieter in its approach to Blue Willow with its abstract representation of it.

Another c. 1917 Wood & Sons Woods Ware piece in my hutch is a small oval platter on the bottom shelf:



Here we have another strong bird character at the center of attention. At 9 inches wide and 5 inches tall the platter has a different look and feel compared to the Wincanton plate and the Canton teacup. The pattern is called Mayfair and although blue and white is still the predominate color scheme, there is a bit of dark red, yellow and green added to the peonies and to the bird (peacock?). Overall, the glaze is laid on thicker and the top rim, where the dark red pigment has been added, has a bumpy texture.

Oh, and just in case anyone is interested, the figurines you see in my hutch are all 'midcentury' pieces that I feel support the Chinoiserie style and theme. Of course there was yet another asian or oriental themed trend in the 1950s, but that's another story for another time! The figurine shown with my Mayfair platter is a Kleine ©49.

Going back up to the middle shelf of my hutch to the left is a circa 1913 Johnson Bros Pareekware 8" plate and a Cleveland China sugar bowl from about 1920:

Have you found the bird in the tree on the plate yet? I'm thinking it's a woodpecker. What do you think? Again we have a similar theme and style to the Brownfield & Son dishes and the Royal Doulton plate, with the colorful floral border, interesting patterned inner border and of course the stylized image in the center.

The Cleveland China sugar bowl is actually an Art Deco piece. I'm very fond of the shape of the bowl and I especially like the handles. Although its design influences are the Neo-Byzantine Revival and Greco-Roman movements from approximately 1890 through the 1920s I feel it also fits the aesthetic of the Chinoiserie style.

Also on the middle shelf of my hutch, on the far right, is a c. 1905 Foley Art China Peacock Pottery 8" plate in another quintessentially classic pattern called Indian Tree:

Like Blue Willow, Indian Tree has stood the test of time and you'll see many different manufacturers having made a variation of the pattern.

Are you starting to see why I am so jazzed about Chinoiserie Revival design? In just the few pieces I've managed to collect thus far, the repetition of style, like strings on a guitar or keys on a piano, is endless. The formality of the border treatments, coupled with the free-form, energetic center designs are like a piece of music that starts in a major key then suddenly changes to a minor key, surprising the listener, yet not sounding out of place. Amidst the rhythmic and ordered events of everyday life and the chaos of unexpected occurrences we are transported to another world of the designer's own making - a dynamic use of yin and yang principles in which harmony is the end result. 

The midcentury figurine of the girl holding a fan next to the Foley Art China plate is one half of a bookend set, made in Japan. And yes, I searched the charity shop shelves high and low for the other half - presumably a boy, but did not find it. And it wasn't until I got it home that I realized the head had been glued back on. But that didn't matter - it's midcentury, of asian or oriental design, and a classic 1950s color - chartreuse!

So now let's look at the four Alaska H & R 7-1/2" plates on the bottom shelf of my hutch:

Ok, I'm stumped on the identification here! I have found one reference stating the manufacturer could have been either Hall & Read or Hughes & Robinson. Both companies manufactured earthenware in the late 1880s, and apparently 'Alaska' is the pattern name.

This same reference implied that the Alaska Gold Rush had something to do with the manufacture of this dish ware. Indeed, there were two gold rushes in the state of Alaska between 1897 and 1904, but what the connection is between those events and earthenware plates named Alaska is a mystery. Perhaps more investigation is needed...  

The figurine of an asian woman dressed in white and playing a small musical instrument (on the bottom shelf of my hutch with the Alaska plates) was made by the Ardalt Lenwile China company in Japan in about the 1950s. Again, she is one half of a pair and the only one I have. It doesn't bother me that the figurines I've collected thus far are not pairs and exact matches - I enjoy having an eclectic mix of styles and colors within a theme.

And last but not least, sitting on the very top of my hutch, is a large Burgess & Leigh Indian Tree serving platter, measuring 15-1/2" wide and 13" high.

This second example (c. 1862 - 1907) shows us another variation of the Indian Tree pattern which has a completely different color palette. Again we have the thematic repetition of an outer floral border, inner detailed border and a stylized image in the center. Shortly after I wrote the blog post about the box of Brownfield & Son dish ware, I wrote another, also quite popular, blog post about this Burgess & Leigh platter entitled Vintage Finds: Antique Burgess & Leigh Chinoiserie Revival Indian Tree Platter.

Well, if you've made it this far, (even if you've only scrolled through and looked at the photographs) I can't thank you enough! I enjoy both collecting and digging into the history of this dish ware and sharing it here with you, dear reader.

If you are interested in styling your own hutch and are wondering where to start, the best place to begin is with something you love. As you can see here, I stuck with one type of antique dish ware and built a collection around that one theme. You might have a piece handed down from a relative or something you just purchased. It could even be the dishes you use everyday. Gather together items that resonate with you and play around and see what you come up with. And most of all, have fun with it.

Oh, and if you would like to know more about the history of my hutch, you can read about it in the post Vintage Finds: c. 1950 James Mont Chinoiserie Limed Oak Hutch.

Thank you!

Vintage Finds: Copeland Spode Chinese Rose

Hi friends! Have you ever tried to establish a manufacturing date for a piece of Copeland Spode china? I'm learning that it's a somewhat difficult task because not all of the pieces were marked, especially in the early years, which was around the 1700s. Granted I will probably never come across any Copeland Spode from that time period, but I did recently find this gorgeous Chinese Rose earthenware dinner plate with a 1931 back stamp.

Spode's Chinese Rose, with its quintessential Chinoiserie style, was an immensely popular china ware pattern with millions of pieces manufactured between 1911 and 2007. Its predecessor was a pattern called India - a blue and white ware 'Oriental' style pattern, designed in 1815. The inspiration for the India pattern came from Chinese porcelains produced during the K'ang Hsi period in China from 1700-1722.

Immediately upon seeing this one lonely antique plate, I knew that it was manufactured during the very Chinoiserie revival time period that I have become so very fond of.

From the delicate quality of the hand colored florals, to the highly detailed motif of the transferred pattern, there is a perfection of the Chinoiserie stylized design ideals that are faithfully captured in this example that I feel are equally true to the spirit of both the eastern and western traditions.

My favorite aspect of this plate is the center floral arrangement. Not only does it perfectly capture the essence of the Chinoiserie revival style in its theme, but each flower expresses its own dynamic energy and vitality as they actively engage with each other in their environment, and together they appear to be happily participating within this unique atmosphere.

As mentioned, the back stamp indicates, I believe, a 1931 manufacture date. The Chinese Rose pattern for bone china was registered with the British Patent Office on December 13, 1913 with number 629599 and manufactured in 1931 in earthenware, with pattern number 2/9253. Both of these manufacture numbers appear on the back of my plate and I know for sure that it is made from earthenware, so my best guess is 1931.

Later pieces of Chinese Rose (from about the 1970s on) had an updated newer back stamp and do not have the red hand painted numbers.

Thank you for letting me share one of my newest vintage finds. If you would like to see more Copeland Spode Chinese Rose, I made a Pinterest board which you can view here.

Vintage Finds: Johnson Brothers Plates and a Chinoiserie Figurine

As the temperatures dip below freezing here in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, we've consigned ourselves to the inescapable reality of wool sweaters and hot cups of tea. Yes indeed, the weather has definitely taken its inevitable turn towards winter.

Just yesterday James and I were pondering what our chances are of seeing snow again this season and reminiscing on our unfortunate series of events last December.

An unusually large accumulation of heavy wet snow weighed down and broke the power lines in various parts of town, including in our neighborhood. There were many of us without electricity for three days. The temperatures hovered in the teens and twenties. We shivered our way through the long hours with candlelight, down comforters and wool blankets, and used our camping stove to cook our food and heat water.

In other words, it wasn't anything like the calm, untroubled scenes pictured in the pair of Johnson Brothers 'The Friendly Village' transfer ware plates I'm featuring today.

'The Schoolhouse' 10" Dinner Plate

In 1883 brothers Alfred and Frederik Johnson founded the Johnson Brothers pottery at the Charles Street Works, located in the Stoke-on-Trent district, United Kingdom. The brothers manufactured earthenware, which they called White Granite. Over time Alfred and Frederik were joined by two more brothers, Henry and Robert.

By 1888 the Johnson Brothers potteries were producing their now famous colorful and charming under-glaze printed ware, or transfer ware.

'Sugar Maples' 6" Plate

To create transfer ware a master artisan engraves a pattern into a flat copper plate. Ink is then applied to the copper plate and the carved design is impressed onto a thin sheet of tissue paper. The design on the tissue paper is then applied, or transferred, onto the surface of a ceramic object such as a plate, bowl or teacup. The object is then ready for a low temperature firing in a kiln.

I have been enamored with transfer ware for a couple of years now and am slowly building a collection. Of course I have been anxious to share this particular find, but I thought it would be fun to wait until winter when those of us in the Northern Hemisphere are bundling up and looking out our own windows at the winter landscapes of the towns, cities or countrysides in which we live.

Similar to my fascination with transfer ware is my interest in all things chinoiserie. I love chinoiserie style because it can be timeless, classy and ultra chic, while at the same time playful and kitschy. Figurines such as the boy shown here have become a quintessentially familiar part of the style. Knowing that statues such as this one came in pairs, my only regret on this particular thrift shopping adventure is that I was only able to find the one piece. After I placed it in my basket I wasted a lot of time searching throughout the store for the other one.

At 8" tall, he is a dynamic looking fellow in a flowing white tunic and pants, a cute matching cap on his head. The tunic, accessorized with high collar, epaulettes and toggle button enclosures are a classic 1950s green, embellished with gold. He's gracefully poised within a moment in time, as if stopped for a quick pose before rushing off to an important social engagement or celebration, ginger jar in hand.

This happy chinoiserie style figurine will definitely be making various appearances around my house.

I am definitely now on the lookout for more vintage chinoiserie home decor pieces, especially since I discovered that vintage English transfer ware and vintage asian or chinoiserie style decorative items are quite pleasing when styled together.

Thank you for reading! I hope you have a wonderful December and a happy holiday season.

Vintage Tea Treasures: An Etsy Shop Update

Hello Friends! Tea and cake is a timeless tradition. Equally timeless are the one of a kind vintage and antique tea treasures you can find in my Etsy shop, Vintage Tea Treasures. Here's a quick update on a few of the holiday themes and colors currently for sale over there:

Collecting vintage can be especially fun when you not only mix and match your pieces, but repurpose as well. The antique Spode transferware 10 3/4" plate, pictured above center, was originally a dinner plate, but it also makes an attractive serving plate for a 6" holiday chocolate cake.

Tea and cake, or maybe tea and cookies - either way, the whimsical pair of Viktor Schreckengost Christmas Eve snack plate and tea cup sets, to the left and right of the Spode plate, are sure to please children of all ages!

Lastly, a unique cube-shaped 'M8 26' teapot, made in USA, featuring a lovely poinsettia-spray decal and an Asian inspired natural woven rattan handle. A lovely addition to a holiday vintage tea party. With a capacity of 40 ounces, you'll be able to make about six 6 oz. cups of tea. Just $15.00 plus shipping. [Update 12/17/16 - SOLD]

For all the descriptive details, prices and shipping information on these and other distinctive items for sale, visit Vintage Tea Treasures on Etsy!

Thank you for stopping by!

#collectandstyle - November Monthly Favorite

Hello everyone, and thank you for visiting Under The Plum Blossom Tree blog! I'm so excited that you're here, and thrilled to introduce you to this month's #collectandstyle Monthly Favorite: Andy of oandystudio!

As you can tell from the image above, Andrea Brinkley is both a collector of vintage blue and white china ware, and also a master fiber artist. Andrea creates one-of-a-kind hand embroidered wool art, or 'stitch painting' as she likes to call it, featuring botanicals and flowers.

She had posted an image at #collectandstyle a few months ago of a very unique blue and white teacup and saucer set that she had given to her mom when Andy was fourteen. I immediately was taken by how she had connected a lovely story from her past, to her current love of collecting blue and white china:

Since that time, I've enjoyed seeing more of Andy's images of her beautifully styled blue and white china ware, along with her delicious looking French tarts, flowers, and the landscape and scenery surrounding her adopted town in North Carolina (Andy is from South Africa). Then, I noticed a shift in focus, and with this image, Andy began talking about how she is intentionally working at fulfilling a creative dream:

When Andy posted the above image, she wrote:

"For several years I've been writing down ideas and aspirations in my Big Ideas notebook. I have let many interruptions (big ones like illness and a wedding and small ones too mundane to mention) delay my goals. With much prodding, love and encouragement, I am happy to say I've been making a good start lately. I'll be sure to keep you posted."

And in just the past couple of months, BOOM! - Andy opened her Etsy shop, oandystudio, and has been hard at work, stocking it full of her gorgeous original hoop embroidery designs such as the first image you saw at the top of this post.

Do you find this story inspiring? Do you have a creative dream? My feeling is that for all of us women in the creative community, there is a lot of value in watching another's dream come true. It can inspire us to take up challenges we have set for ourselves, to inspire others, and to work to lift one another up.

I plan on continuing to follow Andy on her creative adventures, both on Instagram and on Etsy and I hope you will too! You can also find Andy on her website oandystudio.com, and on Facebook.

And don't forget, if you are looking for a unique gift for someone special (or for yourself!), I'm sure Andy would be happy to help you choose just the right hoop embroidered floral or botanical wool art piece, lovingly handmade in North Carolina!

Thank you for joining me for the #collectandstyle November Monthly Favorite! And if you would like to know more, and how to join in on all of the fun, please visit my blog post, Collect And Style, A New Instagram Hashtag, right here at Under The Plum Blossom Tree.

#collectandstyle - September Monthly Favorite

Greetings #collectandstyle community! Thank you for visiting the Under The Plum Blossom Tree blog. I'm thrilled you are here!

For September's #collectandstyle Monthly Favorite I have a special surprise. This month's favorite image was not only created by my brilliant fellow Instagram friend in the U.K., Madeline Norris (@bymeeni), but Madeline also agreed to share with you, in her own words, the story behind these beautifully styled pieces of transferware from her collection of vintage crockery:

"Over the years I have acquired quite a few pieces of vintage crockery. I’m not quite sure how this collection began but I have always been interested in objects with a history and a story to tell. Some of the items in my collection have been handed down to me and belonged to my grandma and great grandma, other pieces have been gifted to me by friends and family and some things I have bought myself.

I don’t collect a particular make, design, period, or colour of crockery and my collection is quite eclectic. I often look on the bargain shelves, as I don’t mind if something is a bit damaged, in fact this often draws me in. For me this gives the piece more character and I want to give it home and a purpose.

The large blue and white plate that I used for my homemade plum cake in this photo is just such a find. It was in the bargain bucket at a little antique shop that I visited while on holiday last year. I love the crackles in the glaze and it’s signs of use. The white and gold plate is part of a tea set that was my grandma’s and I bought the plate with the rose to add to that set, I like to mix and match.

You will notice in this photo a couple of doilies and these are part of another collection. I started collecting these for use in the textile pieces I design and make but some of them have found their way into my prop box and have become a kind of signature in many of my photos. My family often tease me about my doilies!"

Since connecting with Madeline on Instagram, I have been influenced and inspired by her numerous creative talents, and I'm so happy to be able to share this sample of her work with you. As I have only recently discovered, and come to appreciate, the beauty and history of transferware, it seems fitting to include Madeline's image here, since it was other beautiful photos by her which led me to the discovery of transferware in the first place.

To discover more of Madeline's work, including her Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest accounts, visit her on her blog bymeeni for all the links.

And if you would like to participate in #collectandstyle, click here for all the details.

Thank you for reading, friends!

Vintage Finds: Antique Burgess & Leigh Chinoiserie Revival Indian Tree Platter

Greetings vintage and antique lovers, and welcome to another edition of Vintage Finds! Today, I am pleased to share with you a beautiful antique Burgess & Leigh transferware platter, in the well loved and timeless Indian Tree pattern, that I recently purchased at my favorite charity shop. It was manufactured by Burgess & Leigh in the late 19th or early 20th century, which, as I've mentioned in a previous blogpost, falls within that time period known as the Chinoiserie Revival Period.

The Indian Tree pattern was created by Coalport China in 1801, and, not surprisingly, was one of their most popular patterns. Its distinctive feature is an Asian inspired tree situated in a still life floral setting. The Indian Tree motif has its origins in textiles from India; the typical colors found in this transferware pattern theme were green, blue, pink, and orange, which were often hand painted over a monochrome transferred pattern. Over time Indian Tree earthenware was manufactured by other companies besides Burgess & Leigh, such as J & G Meakin and Johnson Bros, in varying degrees of quality.

If you look closely at the painted colors in this particular platter, you'll notice that the greens are faded and the turquoise is nearly gone, while the pink, red, dark blue and brown have remained quite bright. Furthermore, the glaze on the entire piece is crazed, and a patina continues to weave and wind its way into and onto the aged surface. It is just these qualities that most interest me, and appeal to my curiosity about antiques. They add what feels like a timeless charm, making this piece even more unique, since no two will ever age in exactly the same manner!

And speaking of timeless, that is exactly the right term to describe the tradition of Burgess & Leigh earthenware. Their primary place of manufacture, the Central Pottery, located in the town centre of Burslam, Stoke on Trent, England, began as an earthenwares business in 1851 by a Mr Hulme and a Mr Booth. Although Frederick Rathbone Burgess & William Leigh established a partnership in 1862 which took over Central Pottery's works and changed its name to Burgess & Leigh, 1851 is still considered to be the official establishment of their business.

Various backstamps used from these early beginnings are identified by a 'Burgess & Leigh' inkstamp, while later wares, beginning around 1907, became known as 'Burleighware' (a combination of Burgess and Leigh's names) and were stamped as such. Thus the platter pictured is from Burgess and Leigh's earlier days, between 1862 and 1907.

Here's a detail shot of the backstamp:

Don't you just love the way the tree branch curls around the names?

In addition to this backstamp, there is an impressed 'B & L England' stamp on the back - another indication that this is a very early 20th century piece.

Over the years there were moves to other facilities (Hill Pottery, followed by another to Middleport Pottery), always improving and refining their crafting of underglaze transfer decorated tableware. And the good news is that Burleigh continue making beautiful English earthenware to this very day, and still at the Middleport Pottery!

My new platter will join other antique Chinoiserie pieces purchased over the last few months, alongside other vintage items in a more modern style. My plan is to style my c. 1950s James Mont Chinoiserie Limed Oak Hutch with an interesting variety of Asian inspired ceramics and collectables. While researching Burgess & Leigh, I found a very interesting article on the Burleigh website; "Achieving The Dresser Look, The Art Is In The Detail", is a step by step guide on how to style a kitchen dresser (also called a hutch or china cabinet).

Thank you for joining me for another Vintage Finds post!