This pattern became popular in the late 18th
century. The potteries adapted the
patterns on blue and white ware which was imported from China. Transfers were replacing hand painted
ware. Initially there were a number of
different patterns but the Willow pattern became the most popular. The background is always white and the image
is blue.
The Spode factory was the first to produce china
with the Willow pattern around 1790. The
standard scene contains a garden, trees, a bridge, pavilion and two flying
swallows at the top of the scene. The
following is the story behind the scene:
Once there was a wealthy Mandarin, who had a
beautiful daughter (Koong-se). She had
fallen in love with her father’s humble accounting assistant (Chang), angering
her father (it was inappropriate for them to marry due to their difference in
social class). 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. As the lovers escaped with
the jewels, the alarm was raised. They
ran over a bridge, chased by the Mandarin, whip in hand. They eventually escaped on the Duke’s ship to
the safety of a secluded island, where they lived happily for years. But one day, the Duke learned of their
refuge. Hungry for revenge, he sent
soldiers who captured the lovers and put them to death. The gods, moved by their plight, transformed
the lovers into a pair of doves.
