The Story Behind the Blue Willow Plate

This plate has a pattern known as “Blue Willow.” It was designed in England by Thomas Minton around 1790. Willow refers to the pattern, and it uses a specific treatment known as transferware. This process is when the pattern is applied, transferred, or stamped onto the ceramic piece, rather than hand painted, saving time and cost. The background color is always white, while the foreground color depends on the maker. Blue is the most common colour, followed by pink, green, and brown.

In order to improve the sales of the “Blue Willow” plate, Minton created a story based on the design. It has been told as follows; once there was a wealthy Mandarin, who had a beautiful daughter. She had fallen in love with her father's humble accounting assistant, angering her father. He dismissed the young man and built a high fence around his house to keep the lovers apart. The Mandarin was planning for his daughter to marry a powerful Duke. The Duke arrived by boat to claim his bride, bearing a box of jewels as a gift. The wedding was to take place on the day the blossom fell from the willow tree. On the eve of the daughter's wedding to the Duke, the young accountant- disguised as a servant- slipped into the palace unnoticed. The lovers escaped with the jewels, but the alarm was raised. They ran over a bridge, chased by the Mandarin with a whip in hand. They eventually escaped on the Duke's ship to the safety of a secluded island, where they lived happily for years. However, one day the Duke learned of their refuge and sent an army to seek his revenge. The Gods, moved by the misfortune of the lovers, transformed them into doves to live on in tender bliss.  This romantic fable can be explained on the plate by its decoration; the boat, island, fence and bridge all are shown, under the presence of the two love birds in the sky.