an early wedgwood willow pattern fruit bowl with a charming period staple repair. the bowl dates to between 1812 and 1822.
280mm long x 190mm wide x 80mm high
the decoration on the bowl is known as "willow pattern" . the bowl would have originally been part of a tea service. the willow pattern was originally designed in the late eighteenth century by thomas turner of caughley. thomas turner also invented a chinese legend to go with the pattern. as illustrated in the decoration of this bowl, in the garden of the country mansion owned by a wealthy mandarin an orange tree can be seen. in the legend it is beneath this tree that the wealthy man discovers his daughter, li chi in the intimate company of the mandarins pauper secretary, chang. the mandarin did not approve of the love affair and chases the couple over his bridge. the young lovers spend the night hiding in changs house. the following morning they take the boat belonging to li chis father and escape to an island. it is here that the gods take pity on the lovers predicament and turn li chi and chang into turtle doves to live a life happy ever after.
not only is this an early example of a bowl used in the fashionable tea ritual of the day, it has a very old and at the time costly metal staple repair. the repair gives the bowl an even more charming appeal, the bowl has its own personality, the repair gives us an insight into its history and the importance and value the owner held for it.
the use of staples to repair broken ceramics originated in china and was later adopted in England in the 18th century for the repair of important and valuable pottery, becoming widely used in the 19th century, the process dying out with the introduction of suitable adhesives.
