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Antique Pottery
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 Blue Willow
by Wayne Mattox
"Blue Willow" is probably the most popular decoration to ever land on a European or American table. The true story
of "Willow Ware" is almost as interesting as the legends attached to it. Let's take a look at both.
In mid-18th century England, during the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, businesses were
looking for ways to produce economical goods by mechanical processes. Probably used first on decorated "Battersea"
enamel boxes, the century old technique of "transferring" a pigmented impression from an engraved metal plate onto
paper now became available for ceramics.
Until then, the only means known to the potter for decorating his wares was by laborious
hand-painting. On July 27, 1756, engraver John Sadler, and his partner, (potter?) Guy Green, reported that within
six hours they produced "twelve hundred earthenware tiles, neater and better than one hundred skillful pot painters
could have painted in the like space of time."
In 1775, pioneer engraver Robert Hancock joined Thomas Turner at his Caughley Pottery in
Shropshire, England, and they began producing "transferware," which they called "Salopian." It was mostly printed
in blue. For, in those days, cobalt (blue) oxide was the only color that could be applied with success to biscuit
ware before "glazing." High firing "glost kilns" that fused the pottery's protective glaze, broke down most other
colors. Shortly thereafter, a gifted apprentice joined Hancock and Turner at Caughley. The young engraver/potter,
Thomas Minton, who would go on to the found "Minton Pottery" (1796-today), was working with a new technology that
could print repeatable blue patterns on pots before glazing.
He was undoubtedly aware of strong demand for exotic goods from the Far East, including the
beautiful blue pottery exported from Canton and Nanking. Result-Minton produced an imitation Chinese pattern with
pagodas, weeping willows, rivers, bridges, and flying birds-the first Blue Willow Ware. The pattern would prove so
popular it would be copied in a dozen countries by hundreds of different manufacturers.
Even the Chinese copied it in their hand-painted decoration. Perhaps Minton's
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