The story of Blue Willow China

My friend and I are currently working on estate sales that both contain the ever popular Blue Willow China pattern.  This beautiful blue and white china has an oriental chinoiserie pattern but it was created in England for the European market.  It has also been produced in other colors but the blue and white is the classic and most popular color.

My mother received some of this china for her wedding in 1963.  It was produced by several different companies but to be considered “classic blue willow”, it must contain the following elements: a temple or palace, a footbridge, a boat, a willow tree, and two birds. Apple trees, flowers, and a garden fence also appear.

The story has a few variants but here is the short version:  A wealthy Mandarin has a beautiful daughter named Koong-se. Koong-se falls in love with her father’s assistant, Chang. The Mandarin banishes Chang and builds a fence to keep Koong-se in so Koong-se and Chang elope. The Mandarin sends henchmen to kill Chang and set fire to the house, killing the young lovers but the gods turn them into doves so they can fly together for eternity. For a more detailed story, be sure to check it out on your favorite search engine.

There are several ways to tell the age of your blue willow. Check the bottom of the piece for manufacturing marks or stamps. Sometimes the shape or style of the elements on the piece are slightly different from different producers.  Glaze quality can also be an indicator of age as well as those pieces can have a different heft or feel to them. A lot of this china has been made since 1799!

Searching online databases and auctions can give you a lot of good information as well although it is getting harder and harder to find the true details anymore.  As I research estate items online, I am finding more and more disinformation on various sites. I am still a believer in the good old price and identification books of the past. Use and enjoy your blue willow and Happy Collecting!