{"product_id":"royal-albert-greenwood-tree-six-piece-tea-setting-for-four-scalloped-green-trimmed-bone-china-circa-1940s-near-unused-condition","title":"Royal Albert | 'Greenwood Tree' | Six-Piece Tea Setting for Four | Scalloped Green-Trimmed Bone China | Circa 1940s | Near-Unused Condition","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRoyal Albert | 'Greenwood Tree' | Six-Piece Tea Setting for Four | Scalloped Green-Trimmed Bone China | Circa 1940s | Near-Unused Condition\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBeneath the old oak, spring has broken without apology — a rush of tulips, forget-me-nots and lilac blossom crowding around ancient roots, the whole world made new again.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 'Greenwood Tree' pattern is one of Royal Albert's most enduring pastoral compositions, first introduced under the Crown China mark in the late 1920s and produced continuously through to the 1940s. It belongs to a distinguished tradition of English bone china decoration in which the English countryside — with its ancient oaks, drifting blossom and wild-flower margins — was elevated to an almost romantic ideal, a counterpoint to the urbanising world outside. Where many Royal Albert patterns of the era reached for the formal language of the rose garden, 'Greenwood Tree' is altogether more naturalistic: a woodland glade in early spring, the tree itself rendered with genuine draughtsmanship, its bark textured and knotted, its canopy still light with new growth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe pattern was produced across several backstamp generations, and pieces bearing the 'Made in England' designation — without the later 'Bone China' qualification — point to a production date in the 1940s, when Royal Albert continued to issue this well-loved design to meet sustained demand from collectors and households alike. The apple-green rim colouring that defines the set is integral to its character: an unusually vivid choice that gives the pieces an almost botanical energy, quite distinct from the gilded rims that mark much of the factory's pre-war output. The moulded green scroll handles on the cups and milk jug — and the pair of shaped green scroll lugs on the cake plate — are formed as naturalistic vine-like tendrils, reinforcing the woodland theme at every point of contact.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe six-piece composition offered here — four full trios together with a large milk jug and a matching cake plate — represents a rare opportunity to acquire the pattern in substantial, matched quantity. Single trios surface with some regularity, but a cohesive set of this size and completeness, in condition approaching the unused, is seldom encountered. The cake plate in particular, with its large scalloped form and fully articulated scene of oak, tulips, forget-me-nots, and lavender-blue topiary in the distance, demonstrates the pattern at its most expansive and compositionally satisfying.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRoyal Albert's bone china of this period — produced at the Thomas C. Wild \u0026amp; Sons factory in Longton, Staffordshire — is noted for its fine, translucent body and excellent colour reproduction. The chromolithographic transfer process used for 'Greenwood Tree' captures a surprising depth of botanical detail, from the dappled light in the oak's canopy to the individual florets of the mixed border at its base. That depth of impression is especially evident here, where the near-unused surfaces have not been diminished by repeated washing or handling.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDescription \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe set comprises four trios — each consisting of a teacup, saucer and side plate — together with one large milk jug and one large cake plate, making fourteen pieces in total. All pieces share the same 'Greenwood Tree' transfer-printed decoration on a white bone china ground, with a continuous apple-green line to the rims, foot rings and handle detailing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEach teacup is of a generous, slightly rounded form with a lightly lobed body. The moulded handle is formed as a curling vine in vivid apple-green glaze. The exterior of the cup carries the full landscape scene — dominant oak tree rising from lower left, its canopy spreading across the upper body, with a profusion of pink tulips, blue forget-me-nots, yellow flowers and mauve-lilac blossom at its base. The interior rim is lined in the same apple-green. Each saucer is scallop-edged with a matching green rim line and carries a reduced version of the garden scene across its well.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe side plates are square-edged with scalloped corners and the characteristic green rim, the transfer scene positioned to show the full tree with flowering border — the composition slightly different on each plate, as is typical of this pattern's application across different forms.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe large milk jug is of a full, baluster form with a scalloped lip and the same moulded vine handle in apple-green. Its generous scale — appropriate for table service rather than individual pouring — carries a particularly well-centred rendering of the tree and border scene on both principal faces.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe large cake plate is the centrepiece of the set: a substantial square-scalloped form with a pair of moulded green scroll lugs at opposing sides. The transfer here is at its grandest — the oak tree ascending nearly the full height of the plate from lower left, branches arching to meet trees and topiary in the distance, the flower border richly populated. The central field is left open and white, as was the convention for cake plates of this type.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe set is in excellent to near-mint condition throughout and appears to have seen minimal use. There are no chips, cracks or crazing on any of the fourteen pieces. Gilding is not a feature of this pattern — the rims are finished in apple-green glaze rather than gilt — and this colouring remains vivid and consistent across all pieces, with no notable fading or loss. The transfer decoration is sharp and well-registered on all items. There is very slight surface wear consistent with age and storage on some pieces, but nothing that detracts from the presentation. The set is entirely suitable for use or display.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKEY DETAILS\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMaker: Royal Albert (Thomas C. Wild \u0026amp; Sons, Longton, Staffordshire)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePattern: 'Greenwood Tree'\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBackstamp: 'Made in England' — backstamp colour not confirmed; dating to circa 1940s based on pattern production history and form\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePieces: 14 — 4 teacups, 4 saucers, 4 side plates, 1 large milk jug, 1 large cake plate\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMaterial: Bone china\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePeriod: Circa 1940s\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eApproximate Dimensions: Teacup approximately 8cm h x 9.5cm w; Side plate approximately 16cm square; Cake plate approximately 27cm square; Milk jug approximately 11cm h\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGilding: None — apple-green glaze rim trim throughout\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCondition: Excellent to near-mint; no chips, cracks or crazing; green trim vivid and intact\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBuyer Profile: Collector of Royal Albert pastoral patterns; gift buyer seeking a complete, presentable tea set; enthusiast of 1940s English bone china\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe oak holds its place at the centre of the scene, unhurried, as it has for nearly a century — the tulips come and go, the forget-me-nots return each spring, and the tea, when poured at last, will taste exactly as it should.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Dancing Faun ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44999891812552,"sku":null,"price":3150.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0575\/3497\/2104\/files\/rn-image_picker_lib_temp_9b91daff-cafd-4bba-a4f3-89edcfa2b4c1.png?v=1775898641","url":"https:\/\/dancingfaun.co.za\/products\/royal-albert-greenwood-tree-six-piece-tea-setting-for-four-scalloped-green-trimmed-bone-china-circa-1940s-near-unused-condition","provider":"The Dancing Faun ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}