Wednesday, September 9, 2015

A Dreamy Creamy Find

Chronica Domus
The hand-painted central decoration on my newly acquired creamware plates
Photo: Chronica Domus


While it may appear that my cupboards are groaning in protestation from all the English and French ceramics I stuff into them, I am supremely conscious of two painful truths.

  1. I am a hopeless addict collector. I know the next time a little pretty catches my eye, something I "must have", I will find a way to bring it home, come hell or high water. Yes, I really am that feeble predictable.  
  2. I have run out of storage space which makes my addiction obsession collecting habit a bit of a sticky wicket. 

As I reluctantly came to terms with this piteous state of affairs recently, the inevitable came rapping at my door.  Yes, you guessed it, I (once again) found myself answering that all too familiar siren call.  I had succumbed to the delights of a dreamy creamy find; a stack of creamware dinner plates demanding my attention.  What else could I have done?  I did already tell you I am hopeless.

I have long admired early English creamware, those creamy-colored table articles made of earthenware so popular during the mid-eighteenth and early-nineteenth centuries. Many Staffordshire potteries produced creamware but it was the Wedgwood factory that catapulted its success within the higher echelons of society.  Josiah Wedgwood named his creamware "Queen's Ware" after an extensive tea service was commissioned by his royal patroness Queen Charlotte.   I have resisted creamware's temptations, not wanting to "go there" due in large part to a lack of storage space. Besides, the world is not exactly flush with early creamware. Assembling a sufficient number of plates and serving pieces for a small dinner party would take years if one were fortunate enough to encounter such things on one's travels. Needless to say, more than a fist full of dollars is also a requirement.

Chronica Domus
This covetable Wedgwood creamware part dinner service circa 1790 sold at Christie's in London in 2008 for a staggering $17,719 or  £11,250


Which is why when I happened upon a stack of six filthy newspaper-wrapped late-eighteenth century creamware dinner plates at the Alameda Point Antiques Faire last month, I hesitated for barely a nanosecond before snapping them up. It helped that the seller looked as if she was in the midst of happily unburdening herself with the entire contents of a small antiques shop she had inherited. Many of the people that sell at the monthly fair are not professional dealers, which makes every visit exceedingly interesting.  One never quite knows what one will unearth.  This particular stallholder 
was selling her wares at what I could only describe as ridiculously rock-bottom prices, and cheerfully so.  You see, my purchase of the six plates amounted to an embarrassingly paltry amount; a mere five dollars. Yes, that's right, five dollars!  For those of you blessed with a sharpish mind for arithmetic, you will have already totted up the fact that each plate cost me less than a dollar. I could not believe my good fortune.  At long last the creamware gods had looked favorably upon my addiction collection. Out of pity, no doubt.

I must explain that it was not as though the stallholder was unaware of what she was selling.  Here is what I found on one of the plates.

Chronica Domus
My creamware plates in their filthy state
Photo: Chronica Domus


Frustratingly, the other label had already been partially torn off, with only the remains of the word "unusual" still visible. What, I wondered, was so "unusual" about these plates?  Was it the finely painted central medallion bearing the monograms of "IL & MGL"?  Who were these people, and why had these plates been commissioned? Was it to mark the occasion of a wedding, perhaps?  I found it rather odd that only four plates were mentioned on the label, yet there were actually six in the pile I purchased.

Chronica Domus
Washed and clean and ready for the table (notice how shallow the stack is, convenient for those of us that are storage-challenged)
Photo: Chronica Domus


Once clean and dry, I pulled together the three other early pieces of creamware in my collection; two lozenge-shaped Wedgwood serving dishes, and a shell-shaped monogrammed shallow serving bowl. I set the lot on the dining room table.  It pleased me no end to see that they all coordinated rather nicely, unified by their fresh green enamel decoration.

Chronica Domus
Hooray! The green decoration on my new plates matched that of my existing Wedgwood creamware dishes
Photo: Chronica Domus


Chronica Domus
The finely painted central motif on this shell-edged creamware dish also possesses bright green (and puce) enamel and a similarly stylized monogram
Photo: Chronica Domus 


I could not wait to set the dining table with my creamware haul.  Of course, the photograph below was taken for the benefit of this blog posting, to illustrate how splendidly the creamware pieces work with the period glassware and silver already in my collection.  I shall set this table again in mid-October for a formal dinner party we are planning on throwing.  Invitations have already been dispatched and with the addition of our dear friends, some good food, the warm glow of candlelight, and our decanters and glasses overflowing, we plan on having a glorious evening, much in the same vein, I imagine, as the plates' original owners might have enjoyed them.

Chronica Domus
At long last, a tabletop's worth of creamware enough to throw a small dinner party (please excuse the rugless floor - I'm working on it!)
Photo: Chronica Domus


If any of you find yourself in northern California on the first Sunday of each month, come rain or shine, I highly recommend you plan to spend a day trolling the region's largest antiques fair.  Perhaps you too might unearth a treasure for your own collection.

Do you have a tale you wish to share of a long-desired item unearthed for a pittance?

18 comments:

  1. Dear CD,
    Lucky table to be graced by and fortunate guests to dine on such splendid creamware. The bargain price was a sign...they were meant to find a home with you. I can just imagine how lovely they would be adorned with fresh peas and asparagus.
    About 25 years ago I was browsing around a second hand store and came across six Limoges dinner plates; each with a different hand painted border (non-floral). design. I really have no idea how old they are but would guess the early 1900s. The price was $10 for the unmatched set and I treasure them. They have followed me from N.J. to MA, VA, CA and back to MA.
    Recently, my mother who is downsizing gave me her complete set of Royal Copenhagen china. Like you, I now face the dilemma of where to store it all, but it is a challenge I welcome.
    Enjoy your creamware .
    Best, KL Gaylin

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    Replies
    1. Hello KL Gaylin,

      Well, as you might have already guessed, I'm in total agreement - the plates were meant to be home with me, despite the storage situation.

      How wonderful for you to have carted your cherished Limoge plates across the country and back. I can tell they are well loved and used and a score to be sure.

      Might I suggest that your newly inherited Royal Copenagen be stored in large heavy-duty plastic tubs, protected by tissue and bubble wrap? This is how I cope with the overflow at our house. My larger serving pieces and sets of Paris Porcelain are stored in our basement and I hang a tag on the outside listing the contents of each box otherwise I'd never find what I was looking for.

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  2. CD,
    What a wonderful find. I love the plates and the interesting design on them. The table looks beautiful with your creamware collection.
    xo,
    Karen

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    1. Thank you, Karen. I'm intrigued by the central monogram on these plates and would dearly love to know who they belonged to. A married couple perhaps (same last initial)?

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  3. Wow - what a find! They're really beautiful, and it is always so nice to find something that at such a price suggests the china Gods were looking out for you on that day. Your dinner party will be lovely… quite nice too to have to limit it to just 6 of you as well!

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    1. Thank you, Heidi, I'm glad you liked the plates too. Yes, small dinner parties are such fun (and manageable), so I'm looking forward to using my creamware next month. Anything larger than six, I'll have to use one of my other sets of porcelain. My husband and I are toying with the idea of throwing a far larger dinner party later in the year to mark milestone birthdays. I need to get my act together if that idea is to become a reality for I'll need help on that one.

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  4. From a fellow porcelain maniac - well done and am clapping fo ryour find!! It looks so lovely too CD. The interesting thing about the colors are the red and green. My amateur thoughts are that the green and red was in ol' England a way of denoting class and stature. Green is house of commons and red is house of lords so I wonder if it was a set to celebrate the marraige of a aristo daughter to a well to do middle calss merchant? I have to limit my types because i like everything!!!

    I have gotten bargains but they were by chance but I haven't gotten a bargain that I had my eye on.

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    1. Thank you, Naomi. As a "porcelain maniac" you fully understand my joy at finding these plates. Now, as for your theory on the colors, it is an interesting one to be sure. However, what you see as red (on the monogram of the dinner plates) are actually wisps of brown interwoven through the green. Back to square one! I do believe, however, you are correct. As the last initials of both monograms are the same, I too posit these plates commemorate a marriage. How thrilling would it be to find out whose though!

      As for bargains, I'm in no doubt you've found more than a few on your travels.


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  5. HAHAHA! Posted this on Facebook yesterday:
    On BBC right now: Jack Monroe examines the often obsessive relationships people have with their crockery. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b055v4pf

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    Replies
    1. Hello Meg,

      This looks to be very timely indeed and I look forward to listening to the program later today. Last week, I caught the episode about art frames, which was very good. I've got a couple of oil paintings in the corner of my dining room awaiting just the right frame. Alas, one of them has been there for three years to my husband's annoyance.

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  6. Hello CD, Your plates have a lovely old quality to them. I wouldn't give up hope on discovering the original owner. Perhaps part of the set descended in such a way as to preserve the provenance, and that monogram is so distinctive that it would be easy to spot, even at a distance.

    As to a similar bargain, I used to admire early 19th century wineglasses in museums and expensive antique shops, but my chance came when I found some at a church sale in a very old village--price five cents each, and definitely original!
    --Jim

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    Replies
    1. Hello Jim,

      I'm certainly not giving up hope quite yet with regards to discovering who these plates belonged to. In fact, just this morning I shot off an email to the Wedgwood Museum (at the suggestion of Fiona, whom I wrote about in my slop bowl update post recently). Perhaps they may be able to point me in the right direction to tracking down the provenance of these plates.

      This probably does not come as a great surprise to you but I too adore early nineteenth century glassware and enjoy collecting (and using) wine glasses. I've never scored any close to five cents though. Well done! I'd be interested in seeing them so perhaps you'd consider writing a post soon?

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  7. What a splendid little find! Did your heart skip a beat, and wonder whether a few zeros were missing, or whether the price was being quoted in guineas?

    I too play a little game in my head when I find certain things. I know right from the start that I'm going to leave the shop with them, but for some reason I still go through the charade of pretending to find reasons not to take them home and then justifying why I should anyway. Often the game involves Peter, who first of all asks me where they will go. I reply, "Oh, we'll find a place, but I'm not sure whether we can afford them", to which he replies "Darling, they're only expensive on the day you buy them"!

    How marvelous that they compliment your existing pieces. I hope you enjoy many a lunch off them.

    David.

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    Replies
    1. Hello David,

      Yes, I just about fainted when I saw them and needed smelling salts when the seller asked for five dollars for the lot. For a split second I thought she had asked five for each plate, which would have still been extremely reasonable as these things go.

      Oh, I am so familiar with your little game of seeing something that is destined to go home with you. I've played it many times and have never regretted it. I can see we would make a fun outing of it were we ever to meet and shop. And, of course, Peter is perfectly correct, things are only expensive on the day of purchase.

      I hope you enjoyed your trip to England and look forward to reading about it on WBP when you post there next.

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  8. So excellent! What a nice table for a spring dinner.

    And no, I have absolutely zero experience with The Hunt, and would love to learn. Especially as I am in need of a few older pieces to work with family stuff.

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    1. Why, thank you. How funny, I had not thought of it as a spring-like table. I now see the fresh green decoration on the creamware would indeed look marvelous with spring's baby green vegetables upon them.

      Well, we should set a date for a future outing at either the Alameda monthly fair or (a little more serious/dangerous depending on what you need) a trip to the auction rooms. Warning: I may get you into trouble there though!

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  9. What a lucky find - and beautiful too - amazing just what is out there if you look hard enough.

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    1. Hello Elaine,

      Thank you. Rest assured, I do look but a find like this is a once in a lifetime score. I'd be overjoyed if I were to find out a little more about these plates and who commissioned them. Imagine the story behind that!

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Please do leave a comment as I enjoy the dialogue with my readership, thank you.

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