… and I am sure that the Willow pattern will be the first design that comes to mind.
You could be forgiven for thinking that it is a traditional Chinese pattern but probably not so – it was likely developed in the late 18th century by Mintons, inspired no doubt by the flood of Chinese imported designs in England at the time.
Such a successful pattern, it has been copied with variations, by many factories for 200 years, and yes Crown Lynn did have a Willow pattern.
To promote the pattern there were many stories made up about the origins of the design. The most commonly repeated is:
“The beautiful daughter of a wealthy mandarin fell in love with a humble accountant. Her father did not approve and built a high fence to keep the lovers apart. He planned for her to marry a powerful Duke, the wedding was to take place on the day the blossom fell from the willow tree, and the Duke arrived by boat bringing a gift of jewels.
However, the lovers took the jewels and ran over a bridge to escape, chased by the Mandarin. They found a secluded island, where they lived happily for years.
The Duke hungry for revenge, found them and sent soldiers to captured and kill them.
The gods, touched by their love, transformed the lovers into a pair of doves, eternally flying together.”
The doves appear to be a later addition to the story, since the birds do not appear on the earliest willow pattern plates. Willow pattern can also be found in pink, green and brown. It’s fun to collect plates with different interpretations of the key elements of the story.
Daphne Geisler of Vintage Tresures Kansas Street
