{"product_id":"blue-willow-pattern-pair-of-lidded-tureens-blue-and-white-porcelain-20th-century","title":"Blue Willow Pattern | Pair of Lidded Tureens | Blue and White Porcelain | 20th Century","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBlue Willow Pattern | Pair of Lidded Tureens | Blue and White Porcelain | 20th Century\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Willow pattern has been in continuous production for over two centuries — which says something about the human appetite for a landscape that never existed and a story that was invented to explain it.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Blue Willow pattern is one of the most enduring and widely produced transfer-printed designs in the history of ceramics, originating in England in the late eighteenth century and copied, adapted and reinterpreted by manufacturers across Britain, Europe and Asia for over two hundred years. The pattern depicts a romanticised chinoiserie landscape — a willow tree, a pagoda, a bridge with figures, birds in flight, and a distant island — framed by a border of repeating geometric and floral elements. Though presented as Chinese in character, the design is entirely English in origin, assembled from Chinese decorative motifs into a composition that no Chinese factory ever produced. The story subsequently invented to explain the imagery — a tale of forbidden love, flight and transformation — became one of the most widely known pieces of ceramic folklore in the English-speaking world. This pair of tureens carries the Blue Willow scene with a border decoration of Greek key elements, floral roundels and fruit and foliage reserves that is consistent with the Old Willow variant of the pattern, which features a more elaborate border treatment than the standard version.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe tureens are of rounded form, each with a domed lid, two loop handles at the shoulders and a knop handle at the crown of the lid. The Blue Willow decoration is printed in a strong, even cobalt blue on a white ground across the lid, body and handles of each tureen. The central willow scene is clearly rendered, with the pagoda, bridge, willow tree and birds all present and distinct. The border carries the characteristic Greek key band punctuated by floral and foliate roundels. The printing is consistent and even across both pieces, and the two tureens are well-matched in colour depth and decoration. Neither piece carries a maker's mark.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are no chips, cracks or crazing on either tureen or either lid. Both pieces are in excellent condition throughout.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKey Details\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePattern: Blue Willow — border decoration consistent with Old Willow variant\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eForm: Pair of oval lidded tureens\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMaterial: Porcelain\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDecoration: Underglaze blue transfer print\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMaker: Unidentified — no maker's mark present\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePeriod: 20th century\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSold: As a pair only\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCondition: Excellent\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eA pair of tureens that have survived together and unmarked invites the question of who made them and for whom — a question the pattern itself, invented whole from borrowed imagery, has always quietly encouraged.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Dancing Faun ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45019232469192,"sku":null,"price":850.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0575\/3497\/2104\/files\/rn-image_picker_lib_temp_e21ffa73-fecc-4b79-b840-87ce5664de49.png?v=1775850303","url":"https:\/\/dancingfaun.co.za\/products\/blue-willow-pattern-pair-of-lidded-tureens-blue-and-white-porcelain-20th-century","provider":"The Dancing Faun ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}