Blue Willow

My post last Thursday mention about my love affair with blue and white patterns. It got me thinking. Why do I love that color combination so much? I think it goes back to when I was a child. My visits to grandma's house. Her cupboards were filled with all kinds of what we call now, vintage and antique goodies. I remember how I admired her blue willow pieces. At the time I didn't know the name of that particular pattern. As I became more familiar with antiques, I learned about the story behind the willow pattern. The Chinese story of Koong-see and her lover, Chang. Koong-see's father forbids her to marry Chang, so the lovers flee just as the leaves fall from the willow. Chinese soldiers pursue them and kill Chang, so Koong-see, heartbroken, sets fire to herself. The lovers are than transformed into doves, emblems of their constancy. That's the Chinese legend. But, the actual blue willow pattern has been around for centuries. The English potter Thomas Minton brings this pattern to light in the late 1700's. This pattern is still produced today. Minton probably never would of thought his pattern would still hold such popularity into our day.