Minton | Antique | Blue willow | Serving Bowl

Here's one for all you willowers out there. A Minton flow blue Willow 19th Century/turn of the century serving bowl.

Before I came to Sweden 15 years ago, I didn't know that Gustavsberg et al had produced so many of their own versions of the willow pattern. Yet I've grown up with Willow, and Staffordshire pottery in general, because I grew up close to Staffordshire in Northern England. Which is why my voice drops to an awed whisper when I talk about this piece.

It's a real Minton...Thomas Minton you see, is the man who reputedly invented the willow pattern.

And this piece is also a flow blue (which identifies it as a very early piece, yes, double whammy!). They say he created it in 1780 and then sold the design to potter Thomas Turner who mass-produced the pattern on earthenware. This is a huge serving bowl, and there would have only ever been one of them in a dinner set so in addition to all that it's fairly rare to boot. The bowl is over 100 years old, probably produced around the turn of the century. There is however a hairline crack on one side, (see photos for details) and I've reduced the price as a consequence.