Gentle Rattle of China

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Gentle Rattle of China

vintage and antique tea sets

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New website!

Posted on February 6, 2018 by willa
Reading time less than 1 minute
Antiques

Cabaret set from 1893 – so very desired

Posted on June 22, 2017 by willa
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Antiques

English buttercups the Chinese way – Wileman 1893

Posted on June 20, 2017 by willa
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Antiques

Pristine white – Wileman Tea for Two 1889

Posted on June 17, 2017 by willa
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Vintage

Art Deco Tiger Lilies – Royal Winton 1930

Posted on June 15, 2017 by willa
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Antiques

Lavish dinner – Ridgway 1825

Posted on June 13, 2017 by willa
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Antiques Vintage

Beautiful Imari of an unknown maker, late 1800s

Posted on June 12, 2017 by willa
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Antiques

Sweetness in a teacup – Wileman 1893

Posted on June 11, 2017 by willa
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Vintage

Let’s go for a ride! Sadler 1940s

Posted on June 10, 2017 by willa
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Antiques

Turquoise Petunias – Wileman 1900

Posted on June 9, 2017 by willa
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Now live! Press the IGTV button on my profile to watch the whole video. Today I am talking about the Aesthetic Movement: the 19th Century rebellion against the “Vulgarity of Ornament” of Victorian design, bringing us wonderful fresh design principles still valid today 🎥🌺🎨 . . . #gentlerattleofchina #rattlethecups #hightea #highteaparty #vintageteaparty #vintagetea #antique #antiques #antiqueshop #englishantiques #finebonechina #porcelain #porcelaincup #teacupcollector #porcelaincups #teacuplover #interiordesign #finechina #interiordesigner #decorativeantiques #industrialrevolution #aestheticmovement #antique_r_us #antiqueporcelain #onetofollow #igtv #igtvchannel
Today another of the Davenport items I found the other day: a gorgeous Rococo Revival plate from about 1855. The Rococo Revival era lasted until about 1850-ish so this was a straggler of the style, but people would have wanted replacements for broken items in their beautiful dinner and dessert services, so potteries kept making this style for a while. This plate would have been part of a large dessert service. Although I have only this one plate, it is gorgeous just by itself. It is wonderfully potted in the “vine” shape, with 6 pairs of vine leaves on the rim. Apart from the bold teal colour, what is fascinating about this plate is the three incredibly finely painted landscapes. It is almost impossible to imagine how people were able to paint so finely. I don’t know about you, but my eyes started to fail when I was around 45 years old. A fully trained porcelain painter would need a couple of decades of training since beginning as a teenage-apprentice. There were no “daylight lamps’, studios were dark and cold, the weather in the North of England less than clement - how did they do it? And yet, they did. You can find this little miracle in my shop, or send me a private message for more info 🍽💚🏞 . . #gentlerattleofchina #rattlethecups #hightea #highteaparty #vintageteaparty #antique #antiques #antiqueshop #englishantiques #englishantiques #finebonechina #porcelain #porcelaincup #teacupcollector #porcelaincups #teacuplover #interiordesign #finechina #interiordesigner #decorativeantiques #antique_r_us #antiqueporcelain #dinnerparty #desserttable #dessertporn #onetofollow #davenport #rococorevival
SOLD - Unlike the Victorian teacups of the last few days, Rococo Revival teacups are usually wide and generous in shape, and have these wonderful “rustic” handles - as if they were made of an artfully bent twig. This Grainger teacup from about 1835 in the “Gloster” shape is such a cup: sophisticated and original. It doesn’t have any flower painting, but it has the most wonderful gilt scribbles on a warm grey ground, which creates a very sophisticated combination. You can see all sorts of things in the gilt pattern: leaves, roots, the moulded dots on the rims are picked out in gilt, and in the centre of the cup and the saucer there is an adorable acorn pattern. The rims are moulded nicely with a jewelled pattern consisting of little dots. Did you know that these mouldings are not only for looks, but also enhance your experience of tea? When a baby is born, the one well-developed sense it has is the mouth, and throughout life our mouth remains our most sensitive organ. So to stimulate the lips by having a slight moulding in the rim of the cup increases our ability to taste. You can find this very sophisticated cup in my shop, or send me a private message for info 👄☕️👶 . . . . #gentlerattleofchina #rattlethecups #hightea #highteaparty #vintageteaparty #vintagetea #antique #antiques #antiqueshop #englishantiques #englishantiques #finebonechina #porcelain #porcelaincup #teacupcollector #porcelaincups #teacuplover #interiordesign #finechina #interiordesigner #decorativeantiques #rococorevival #finechina #antique_r_us #antiqueporcelain #grainger
Like yesterday’s Davenport teacup, today I have a mid-Victorian set, this time from the 1860s. It was made by Brown-Westhead & Moore, which had been called Ridgway until only a few years earlier. This set is very Mid-Victorian in the way the teacup is narrow, rather than the wide Rococo cups of the 1840s. While design for the super-rich and for the huge exhibitions that started to take place across Europe became ever more lavish and opulent, every-day tea services became more simple and homely - probably the effect of the Victorian emphasis on family life and restraint. And perhaps also a sign that the market was starting to cater to a new middle class who would not spend money on very lavish tableware, but just wanted a beautiful set that they could afford (and, I guess, the kids wouldn’t destroy!). This beautiful trio is in the new style: a cup, saucer and little cake plate - also a sign of the times as it became more normal to have tea with a little something. It shows beautiful acanthus leaves - or are they oak leaves? and are these wheat ears? it is very finely potted and shining brightly. You can find this little beauty in my shop, or send me a private message for more info 💚🌿☕️ . . #gentlerattleofchina #rattlethecups #hightea #highteaparty #vintageteaparty #vintagetea #antique #antiques #antiqueshop #englishantiques #englishantiques #finebonechina #porcelain #porcelaincup #teacupcollector #porcelaincups #teacuplover #interiordesign #finechina #interiordesigner #decorativeantiques #finechina #antique_r_us #antiqueporcelain #victorian #brownwestheadmoore #ridgway
This is the second of several Davenport items I came across a while ago. The teacup and saucer are typical of the 1850s; after the rather outlandish Rococo Revival in the 1830s and 1840s people wanted something more simple. Isn’t this always what happens? The Georgian style was austere; in the Regency period austerity was over and style became lavish; then people wanted something more original and the Rococo Revival brought outlandish designs; but the next generation got fed up with that and chose elegant simplicity for their items for daily use. Teacups became more narrow to express Victorian restraint, there were less flowers and birds and Queen Victoria’s preference for fresh turquoise colours was widely copied. In spite of greater simplicity, the quality was high and designs were often very sophisticated. This is a wonderful abstract design that became quite well known; I love it for its simplicity, bright colours and yet it has true sophistication. The cup and the plate are a related but slightly different pattern from about the same period; I also have a similar plate with just gilt that was done 20 years later. It is likely that one lady built up a service throughout her married life; they would have been passed down the generations and been broken bit by bit, and when the last descendant died it all ended up in an auction house, where I found it as part of a large collection of random porcelain items. Now these survivors are waiting for a new life! You can find them in my shop, or send me a private message for more info ⭐️ 🦋 🎀 . . . . #gentlerattleofchina #rattlethecups #hightea #highteaparty #vintageteaparty #vintagetea #antique #antiques #antiqueshop #englishantiques #englishantiques #finebonechina #porcelain #porcelaincup #teacupcollector #porcelaincups #teacuplover #interiordesign #finechina #interiordesigner #decorativeantiques #finechina #antique_r_us #antiqueporcelain #victorian #davenport
Today I am adding another post in my “Japonism” series - the design style emerging in the 1870s and 1880s that was inspired by Japanese art. What is more Japanese than wonderful blossoms? I should really show this cup in the spring, but as the autumn is now well underway here in London, I love looking at this cup and imagining spring. This set was made by Edwin J.D. Bodley, a pottery that became famous for their Aesthetic Movement and, in particular, Japanese-inspired designs. This cup is an iconic Bodley shape - whenever you see it, you can be sure it is a Bodley. It is beautifully potted in smooth, very white bone china. The design is a wonderful image of blossoms, printed in warm brown and then picked off in pink and yellow. This method of combining transfer printing with only a few colour highlights greatly reduced the amount of skilled handwork needed for each item, and in a time when (thankfully!) child labour was banned and therefore wages were going up, this was a practical solution to a new problem. You can find this wonderful little burst of spring blossoms in my shop, or send me a private message for more info 🌸☕️🌺 . . #gentlerattleofchina #rattlethecups #hightea #highteaparty #vintageteaparty #vintagetea #antique #antiques #antiqueshop #englishantiques #englishantiques #finebonechina #porcelain #porcelaincup #teacupcollector #porcelaincups #teacuplover #interiordesign #finechina #interiordesigner #decorativeantiques #finechina #antique_r_us #antiqueporcelain #aestheticmovement #japanesecherryblossoms #japonism #bodley #blossoms
I have shown this plate before, but someone in China asked me for a good example of the curious mix of cultures that happened in Chinese and early British porcelain, and this is the plate that expresses it beautifully! It was made by Hilditch around the year 1815. It is a bone china plate, whiter and lighter than the previous stone china, and the decoration is after a Chinese decoration from an 18th Century Chinese Export plate. This image is often called “Boy with the Spotted Dog” - you can see the boy playing with his dogs 🐶 . A woman is doting over him - probably a servant, and behind her is another servant carrying an umbrella - or is one of them the mother? A man (the father?)is watching the scene smoking a pipe under his canopy. It all looks like a nice Chinese family scene. But if you look closer you will see that the canopy that the father sits under has an Indian styled Islamic crescent on top, while in the background there is a typical Chinese pagoda, lake and boat. To top it off, there is a bouquet of very Dutch-looking flowers on the baluster - arranged in a vase exactly like you can see it on Dutch 17th Century paintings, and my mother used to arrange them in our family home. The finely painted ring around the image looks like silverware. The biggest foreign customers of the Chinese porcelain makers were the Indian Moghuls, who gave the porcelain painters Indian miniatures to copy, and the Dutch traders, who gave them silverware and Dutch paintings to copy. This created a wonderful mix of cultures - and to top it off, all this was later copied by English painters who had never been in the East and gradually gave it their own very English character. Who said globalisation and East-West cooperation is a new thing? It was clearly alive and well in the late 18th Century (and before)! The plate will be up in my shop soon, in the meantime please send a private message for info if you’d like to buy it 🐕 ⛩🕌🌏 . . #gentlerattleofchina #rattlethecups #hightea #highteaparty #vintagetea #antique #antiques #antiqueshop #englishantiques #finebonechina #porcelain #dinnerplate #interiordesign #finechina #interiordesigner #antiqueporcelain
In the 19th Century, each potter brought out their own iconic shapes - some were then copied by other potters, and some were so iconic that no one even dared or bothered. Coalport’s “Pembroke” shape was such a shape - there is nothing quite like it and you recognise it immediately when you see it. This teacup from about 1820 has such a wonderful handle; elaborately worked but also very effective as it is easy to pick up, whether you have big or small fingers. I purchased this cheerfully hand painted cup and saucer from the property of an English gentleman (the great-great grandfather of a dear friend) who pioneered the first industrially produced linseed oil. I have a nice bowl and two plates as well - these few last remnants belonged to a large tea and dinner set, and I always love imagining what the table must have looked like when everything was new and shiny and a large family of children and grandchildren were assembled for the Sunday roast in their Kent home. What did they talk about while sipping their tea? About the fact that the linseed oil of their family empire was used in 1825 for the engine of Locomotion 1, the first public steam locomotive in England? Or, a 6 years later, the fact that Sir James Clark Ross used their oil on his journey to locate the Northern Magnetic Pole? The gentleman must have purchased this set for his wedding in about 1825, and these would have been very exciting years of rapid industrialisation. If only cups and saucers could convey the stories they heard from their owners! You can find the items in my shop, or send me a private message for info ☕️🚂⚓️❄️ . . . #gentlerattleofchina #rattlethecups #hightea #highteaparty #vintageteaparty #vintagetea #antique #antiques #antiqueshop #englishantiques #finebonechina #porcelain #porcelaincup #teacupcollector #porcelaincups #teacuplover #interiordesign #finechina #interiordesigner #decorativeantiques #industrialrevolution #coalport #derby #royalcrownderby #antique_r_us #antiqueporcelain #onetofollow #igtv #igtvchannel
Now live! Press the IGTV button on my profile to watch the interesting story of the teacups that belonged to an early British Industrialist… and find out what linseed has to do with teacups! 🎥 ☕️ 🚂 . . . #gentlerattleofchina #rattlethecups #hightea #highteaparty #vintageteaparty #vintagetea #antique #antiques #antiqueshop #englishantiques #finebonechina #porcelain #porcelaincup #teacupcollector #porcelaincups #teacuplover #interiordesign #finechina #interiordesigner #decorativeantiques #industrialrevolution #coalport #derby #royalcrownderby #antique_r_us #antiqueporcelain #onetofollow #igtv #igtvchannel
SOLD - Today I have the first of a collection of Davenport items that I recently found: a beautiful teacup and saucer from around 1830. It is a very interesting shape, slightly hexagonal, which creates nice panels for the very simple and striking hand painted flowers. These are all flowers as you can find them in the English countryside and gardens: a tulip, bindweed, forget me not, ranunculus, violet, dog rose and various other flowers. Usually decorations are more complex with gilt patterns and a ground colour, but here the designer decided to keep it very simple and this makes the flowers even more beautiful. Can you imagine a whole tea service like this? It would have been stunning! I have only this teacup and saucer available - it has some signs of ageing but still looks absolutely stunning. You can find it in my shop, or send me a private message for more info 🌸🌹🌼🌺🥀 . . . . #gentlerattleofchina #rattlethecups #hightea #highteaparty #vintageteaparty #vintagetea #antique #antiques #antiqueshop #englishantiques #englishantiques #finebonechina #porcelain #porcelaincup #teacupcollector #porcelaincups #teacuplover #interiordesign #finechina #interiordesigner #decorativeantiques #regency #finechina #antique_r_us #antiqueporcelain #flowers #davenport
SOLD - Today I have a very special dish: one of the famous Crown Derby heart-shaped dishes, from around 1820. Dessert services were all the rage in the early 19th Century, as much of the Industrial Revolution depended on the wheeling and dealing that happened in people’s homes when the the new class of industrial leaders entertained each other with large dinners and tea parties. The Crown Derby Porcelain Company created many of those dessert services and something these beautiful heart shaped dishes that they included in each service became very well known. This dish is easy to pass around not only because of its shape, but also because it has a broad rim of “jewelled” little dots of enamel paint in duck egg blue, causing the rim to be anti-slip so fingers that are already greasy with butter and other fat, get a good grip. The flower in the centre is, according to the writing on the reverse, a “Bachelors Button” - although this is usually a corn flower and these don’t really look like corn flowers. Whatever flower the painter had in mind, they are beautifully painted including the usual discolouration on the leaves. So what should this dish hold… fruit? profiteroles? cakes? crepes? Find this beauty in my shop, or send me a private message for info 🌸🍽🌺 . . #gentlerattleofchina #rattlethecups #hightea #highteaparty #vintageteaparty #vintagetea #antique #antiques #antiqueshop #englishantiques #finebonechina #porcelain #porcelaincup #teacupcollector #porcelaincups #teacuplover #interiordesign #finechina #interiordesigner #decorativeantiques #derbyporcelain #royalcrownderby #dessertporn #dessertservice #antique_r_us #antiqueporcelain #onetofollow #heart #bachelorsbutton
I showed an 1820s early “Batwing” teacup from Coalport the other week (and the bat flew away very quickly!) and here is one of the later series that became incredibly popular in the late 19th Century. There are different theories about how this pattern came into being: it may have been pure chance that the coloured areas resemble flying bats, as does the teacup handle. But there is also a theory that the pattern as originally copied from an ancient Chinese pattern that depicted the menacing face of a monster, presumably to scare away any evil and keep the drinker of the tea protected. English porcelain painters would have copied any patterns without much context and gradually made it more abstract, turning it into what we now call the “Batwing” pattern. Whether this is true or not, it is a good story I think! This particular cup is in fresh apple green and the little flowers have been printed in outline under the glaze, and then hand coloured in enamel paint on top of the glaze. This pattern became wildly popular and contributed to Coalport’s revival after a period of near-bankruptcy, remaining in production until the 1930s. You can find this little bat in my shop, or send me a private message for more info 🦇🍏😈 . . #gentlerattleofchina #rattlethecups #hightea #highteaparty #vintageteaparty #vintagetea #antique #antiques #antiqueshop #englishantiques #finebonechina #porcelain #porcelaincup #teacupcollector #porcelaincups #teacuplover #interiordesign #finechina #interiordesigner #decorativeantiques #finechina #coalport #antique_r_us #antiqueporcelain #batwing #flowers #wildflowers
SOLD - Today I am following through on my series about Japonism that I started with a video two weeks ago (press the IGTV button if you want to watch it!) - it all got interrupted by the sad event of my mother’s death - but then it was also a privilege and joy to show her beautiful art, which had never been beyond the walls of our family home! Today I have a beautiful teacup trio made by E.J.D. Bodley in about 1880. This was at the height of the Aesthetic Movement period and the Japonism fashion. It is done in an old Japanese technique called “tooled gilt”; the decorations are created in a sticky red substance, which is then gilded. This softened layer of gilt is worked with a sharp tool (hence the name “tooled”) to create a slightly three-dimensional effect, making the gilt figures lively. These little birds are adorable, and each one is busy doing its own thing. As in many designs in the Aesthetic Movement, the birds are the main issue here; not mere decorations but the centre of attention. In fact, when you look carefully at them, you start to feel like you are one of them, rather than looking at them. This is what the Japanese prints gave us: you participate in the movement of the picture. You can find this very rare and special set in my shop, or send me a private message for more info 🐦 🌟 ⛩ . . #gentlerattleofchina #rattlethecups #hightea #highteaparty #vintageteaparty #vintagetea #antique #antiques #antiqueshop #englishantiques #englishantiques #finebonechina #porcelain #porcelaincup #teacupcollector #porcelaincups #teacuplover #interiordesign #finechina #interiordesigner #decorativeantiques #finechina #antique_r_us #antiqueporcelain #aestheticmovement #birds #japonism #bodley #igtv
I was super proud to see one of my porcelain babies on tv yesterday… a wonderful Art Deco tea set by Shelley. It appears in the new BBC series “The Little Drummer Girl”, an adaptation of John Le Carre’s famous book, directed by Park Chan-Wook, one of my favourite film directors. I was thrilled to hear they wanted my tea set, and even more thrilled when I heard it was Park Chan-Wook himself who loved it and didn’t want to hire it for the occasion but simply bought it and took it home, as once he had seen it on the set he couldn’t part from it anymore. Thank you @nreynell and team for finding this beauty. If you have a chance to see this series, don’t miss it - it’s on BBC iPlayer right now and it is a fabulous production. And look out for the little teapot that speaks of tradition, thoughtfulness and style ☕️ 🎥 📺 . . #gentlerattleofchina #rattlethecups #hightea #highteaparty #vintageteaparty #vintagetea #antique #antiques #antiqueshop #englishantiques #englishantiques #finebonechina #porcelain #porcelaincup #teacupcollector #porcelaincups #teacuplover #interiordesign #finechina #interiordesigner #decorativeantiques #artdeco #finechina #antique_r_us #antiqueporcelain #thelittledrummergirl #johnlecarre #bbc #parkchanwook #spyfilm #shelleychina #shelley
Today we are back to the porcelain. The other week when I posted a beautiful Rockingham teacup, people asked for more Rockingham. Well, here it is and I hope it is big enough😊This is a truly wonderful tea and coffee service made around 1832. Like many Rockingham pieces, it is thickly potted and shaped in the generous Rococo Revival style that Rockingham became so famous for. What is interesting about this set is that it is decorated in a gilt seaweed pattern - presumably imitating the famous Worcester Flight Barr & Barr pattern. But it also has the addition of beautiful hand painted flower posies, each one unique and beautifully painted. The combination may seem odd at first, but when this service lived on my table for a while I started to love it more and more; there is something extremely pleasing about the way the shapes, feel, patterns and colours of this service come together. The cups and saucers have had some wear but are still in good usable condition; the teapot, sucrier and milk jug are in perfect condition, which is very rare and exceptional. In this service you can see the 19th Century habit of replacing broken items; some of the items are potted a bit lighter than others. And if you wondered who was Rockingham’s most important customer, then have a look at the wonderful finials with the little crowns of William IV. You can find this service in my shop, or send me a private message for more info 🌸🌺🌼 👑 . . #gentlerattleofchina #rattlethecups #hightea #highteaparty #vintageteaparty #vintagetea #antique #antiques #antiqueshop #englishantiques #englishantiques #finebonechina #porcelain #porcelaincup #teacupcollector #porcelaincups #teacuplover #interiordesign #finechina #interiordesigner #decorativeantiques #rococorevival #finechina #antique_r_us #antiqueporcelain #flowers #rockingham #yorkshire #seaweed
I have one more work made by my mother, before I return to the porcelain treasures. It has been unexpectedly beautiful to show her works of art, and they have deeply informed me and my current passion for porcelain. This self portrait was drawn in pencil and white guache highlights when she was only 20 years old. I think this is one of her best works, even though she was so young. You can see the seriousness in her, the deeply cultural upbringing she had being educated in the Greek and Roman Classics and a house full of classical music (her mother was a singer), as well as the weight of the difficult years her generation went through in the war only a few years before. My mother’s particular talent was drawing portraits - capturing the depth of a person’s soul in mere pencil drawings. My grandmother told me once that as a child, during holidays on the boat I showed yesterday, she would disappear and return with her arms full of butter and eggs. When my grandmother sat her down and asked her where she got those luxuries (it was the 1930s!) she confessed that she had gone to the farms with her sketchbook and a pencil, and offered to draw portraits of the children in return for butter and eggs! I love to imagine how somewhere in Friesland there are farms with children’s portraits, drawn by my mother as a young girl 👩‍🎨 🎨 ❤️ . . . #fryslan #friesland #portrait #pencilportraitdrawing #portraitdrawing #kunstinfryslân #fryslân
My mother didn’t only make a beautiful drawing for my grandfather during his time in captivity, she also consoled him after his return home. He was thrilled to find his family alive and well, but heartbroken to find his treasured sailing boat afloat in the middle of a lake, full of bullet holes. So my mother painted him the boat the way they had spent many school holidays on it, briskly sailing against the surf of the windswept Frysk lakes and the Zuiderzee. But as there wasn’t any paper left by the end of the war, she painted it on a piece of wood - it was a lucky piece they hadn’t burned yet in the little stove that had to keep them warm and also served as a cooker during a winter of famine. This piece of wood is a little treasure I grew up with, and I used to look at often as a child, admiring my mother’s artistry, love and resourcefulness ⛵️ 🌊 👩‍🎨
Cats are amazing creatures. I turned some funeral arrangements into a nice bouquet for the house and put it in my mother’s favourite Wedgwood vase, and her little ginger cat knew exactly what to do 😻🌸❤️
My mother was a child during the 1940-1945 war. Her father, who was a well known Classicist and school head, had been captured, like many men in leading positions. My mother knew that if she would try to send a letter to the camp, it would be censured and reduced to an illegible blacked out mess. But, being a budding artist, she found a creative way to let her father know that she and her two siblings were doing well and had enough to eat in those very difficult years. I found this little postcard inside the book my grandfather wrote about Greece in 1922 - the book that I use a lot as a prop for my pictures. On the reverse it has my grandfather’s prisoner number and address in the Vught concentration camp, my mother’s return address and no further text. It arrived in perfect condition and must have been dearly cherished by my grandfather, who managed to keep it through a year of captivity, his early escape and half a year of hiding in a grave, and passed it back to my mother inside his own book. My mother, not realising this card was inside it, passed the book to me a while ago as I am the child who fell in love with Greece, years after my grandfather died. This card now has a very special place ❤️🙏 🐇
My mother was an artist, and her particular talent and skill was drawing portraits. This is a self portrait from her time at the Academy for Drawing in the 1950s, which was located in the low annex at the garden behind the famous Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. We gave her a wonderful farewell yesterday and I will still be here for a few days to get my father settled in his new life alone. Thank you for all your very moving messages! ❤️🙏💔

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About

"The sound of the gentle rattle of china cup on china saucer drives away all demons, a little-known fact.” – Terry Pratchett

I have always loved beautiful things. I also love to find out about their history and what they tell us about who and where we are now.

It started early, when my grandmother would often serve me tea in a different cup each time I came to visit. I would return wet and cold from my ramblings in the countryside, and she put me by the fire with her reassuring brew and tell me stories about the cup she’d chosen that day – it might have belonged to some beloved great-aunt. Or she might point to a marking in some inexplicable script, and explain that she had purchased it during the war, when chinaware was scarce and traders put their reserves up for sale. I marvelled at the intricate landscapes with willows and bridges on Barratt cups, or the delicate flowers dancing over a Wileman cup.

Fast-forward several decades, and I found myself one morning contemplating life. I had recently left a job and career that had always given me much joy and satisfaction, but that had been demanding everything from me and, after many years of ceaseless work, commuting and pressure, left me feeling burned out. I had decided to push the pause button to see what would happen.

When depositing some old clothes to my local Salvation Army shop the previous afternoon, I had seen a gorgeous teaset. It was simple and elegant and I absolutely adored it. I didn’t need a teaset and I didn’t want anything, so I went home without buying anything. But that teaset didn’t leave me - my old love for art, history and all things beautiful was kindled.

The next morning I woke up with a fully formed plan. I clearly knew that my business was the joy and passion that I rediscovered that afternoon in the Salvation Army shop. My curiosity about the history of those humble cups, my thrill about their beauty, and an enterprising streak that I had forgotten I possessed quickly had the better of me, and 48 hours later I had my shop running online. From there, I have never looked back.

At first, I opened a shop to share my love for beauty. But soon it became two shops:

VINTAGE (hosted on Etsy)

ANTIQUES (hosted on Ruby Lane)

You might be looking for a special gift for a dear friend. You might be an antique porcelain collector. Or perhaps you just want to honour that precious moment of your morning tea when you contemplate the goodness of life.

I offer small gifts, extensive teasets, or valuable pieces of fine bone china. And if you decide to buy something I provide the story with each one on a nicely printed sheet.

Enjoy your object of beauty, and let the china rattle!

Recent Posts

  • New website! February 6, 2018
  • Cabaret set from 1893 – so very desired June 22, 2017
  • English buttercups the Chinese way – Wileman 1893 June 20, 2017
  • Pristine white – Wileman Tea for Two 1889 June 17, 2017
  • Art Deco Tiger Lilies – Royal Winton 1930 June 15, 2017
  • Lavish dinner – Ridgway 1825 June 13, 2017
  • Beautiful Imari of an unknown maker, late 1800s June 12, 2017
  • Sweetness in a teacup – Wileman 1893 June 11, 2017
  • Let’s go for a ride! Sadler 1940s June 10, 2017
  • Turquoise Petunias – Wileman 1900 June 9, 2017
  • Shelley Blue Syringa – demitasse cups from 1932 June 7, 2017
  • Dolly Varden in blue – Wileman, 1887 June 6, 2017
  • The grace of post-war bell-shaped teacups – Paragon 1960s June 5, 2017
  • Too much on your plate? H&R Daniel ca 1825 June 4, 2017
  • Blue Rock Shelley demitasse set June 3, 2017
  • Odd colours can turn out amazing – H&R Daniel ca 1825 June 1, 2017
  • How Art Deco quietly conquered sophisticated tradition – Radford 1930s May 31, 2017
  • The many ways of Imari – Wileman 1890 May 30, 2017
  • Sadler Trellis teapot – this time with maroon flower May 29, 2017
  • Henry Daniel’s roses – coffeecup from 1822 May 28, 2017
  • Warm red from Worcester – 1938 May 27, 2017
  • The cups an industrial pioneer drank from – Royal Crown Derby, 1800-1825 May 26, 2017
  • Wild Flowers from Shelley May 25, 2017
  • Pierced plate from Ridgway, ca 1850 May 24, 2017
  • More Sadler trellis – this time blue May 23, 2017
  • Mother & child – Ridgway, 1812 May 21, 2017
  • Art Deco at its best – Sadler 1930s May 19, 2017
  • The bird becomes central – Aesthetic Movement plate, 1880 May 18, 2017
  • Maroon coffeecups – Paragon, 1920s May 17, 2017
  • Beige and gold – Brown-Westhead & Moore, 1864 May 16, 2017
  • Same shape, new era – Paragon 1940s May 14, 2017
  • Magnolias from Minton – 1830 May 13, 2017
  • Freesias from Sadler, 1930s May 12, 2017
  • The many imari patterns of Wileman – 1899 May 11, 2017
  • For those who are in autumn – Sadler 1950s May 10, 2017
  • Orange, rust, pumpkin – Wileman 1901 May 9, 2017
  • A new member of the Arcopal family! May 8, 2017
  • Spectacular tea time – Wileman 1893 May 7, 2017
  • Never tired of blue and white – Sadler brigadoon teapot 1970s May 6, 2017
  • How many birds can you get onto a teacup? Royal Worcester, ca 1868 May 5, 2017
  • More teapots – Sadler, 1940s May 4, 2017
  • Elegant Victorian – Samuel Johnson, 1890s May 2, 2017
  • Arcopal in many shades – 1960s May 1, 2017
  • Daisies on daisies – Wileman teacups from 1890 April 30, 2017
  • Beautiful Aynsley with plums and forest fruit – 1940s April 29, 2017
  • Teacups with a story – made in the Foley Works ca 1900 April 28, 2017
  • Acacia blossoms – Shelley Art Deco April 27, 2017
  • Making a cameo – Wileman 1896 April 26, 2017
  • Bands and Lines – Shelley 1933 April 25, 2017
  • This will make you blush – Wileman 1893 April 24, 2017
  • Wonderful Trellis from Sadler, 1950s April 23, 2017
  • Stunning Belleek Tridacna, 1891-1926 April 22, 2017
  • Royal Albert is not always Old Country Roses! April 21, 2017
  • Daisies, daisies – Wileman 1890 April 20, 2017
  • Art Deco with Fuchsias – Wetley China 1930s April 19, 2017
  • Using your antiques? of course! Davenport tea & coffee set, ca 1830 April 18, 2017
  • Bring in the butterflies – Grosvener China Art Deco, 1920s April 17, 2017
  • Coffee from the Rococo Revival – Samuel Alcock, ca 1835 April 16, 2017
  • Dancing muses for Easter – Shelley, 1924 April 15, 2017
  • Wonderful green – H&R Daniel, ca 1840 April 14, 2017
  • Blue Syringa flowers – Shelley 1938 April 13, 2017
  • Antique ferns for the Empress – Wileman 1893 April 11, 2017
  • Another beautiful Art Deco cup – Paragon ca 1920 April 10, 2017
  • Spring Romance – Wileman 1895 April 9, 2017
  • Adorable demitasse coffee set, Shelley April 8, 2017
  • Delicate Victorian lilac, 1880s April 7, 2017
  • Art Deco beauty – Carlton China ca 1930 April 6, 2017
  • Gorgeous Japanese pattern – Shelley 1912 April 5, 2017
  • French grace in a teacup – Arcopal, 1960s April 4, 2017
  • A sweet little coffee for the Monday morning – Wileman demitasse, 1880s April 3, 2017
  • Have some plums! Shieling teacup, 1950s April 2, 2017
  • Magnificent Irish grace – Belleek, turn of the Century April 1, 2017
  • From gilt to sunny orange – Shelley Art Deco 1940 March 31, 2017
  • Gilt splendour – Ridgway ca 1813 March 30, 2017
  • More small coffeecups! Shelley Art Deco, 1933 March 28, 2017
  • Japanese Grove demitasse cup, ca 1880 March 27, 2017
  • A wonderful vintage Imari tea set for 4 – 1920s March 26, 2017
  • True Victorian style – Royal Crown Derby cups from 1898 March 25, 2017
  • It’s time for dinner parties! Adderley plates, 1960s March 24, 2017
  • A very sweet coffee set – Wileman demitasse cup and milk jug from 1893 March 23, 2017
  • Let’s have strawberries! German plate, 1920s March 22, 2017
  • More spring flowers – H&R Daniel 1830 March 21, 2017
  • Coffee for the spring – Plant Tuscan, 1930s March 19, 2017
  • Wild flowers – Coalport 1825 March 18, 2017
  • Royal Albert, but not as we know it – ca 1930 March 17, 2017
  • Two cups sharing a saucer – Coalport 1815 March 16, 2017
  • A teacup that is a flower – Art Deco 1930s March 15, 2017
  • The perfect wedding gift – Wileman tea set for 6, Empire shape 1893 March 14, 2017
  • Spring! Art Deco cake plate from the 1930s March 12, 2017
  • Stunning H&R Daniel – ca 1830 March 11, 2017
  • More blue: Shelley Phlox teacups, 1933 March 10, 2017
  • And it’s all over now, baby blue – Wileman 1889 March 9, 2017
  • Wisteria and hollihocks – ca 1950 March 8, 2017
  • Lilac and mint green bliss from Wileman, 1899 March 7, 2017
  • Pinkie – a popular figure from the 1940s March 6, 2017
  • Japan in Staffordshire – 1890 March 5, 2017
  • Art Nouveau at its best March 4, 2017
  • Timeless elegance – Wedgwood Jasperware March 3, 2017
  • Tobacco without smoking – Spode 1911 March 2, 2017
  • H&R Daniel, the colour wizards, ca 1840 March 1, 2017

Instagram

Now live! Press the IGTV button on my profile to watch the whole video. Today I am talking about the Aesthetic Movement: the 19th Century rebellion against the “Vulgarity of Ornament” of Victorian design, bringing us wonderful fresh design principles still valid today 🎥🌺🎨 . . . #gentlerattleofchina #rattlethecups #hightea #highteaparty #vintageteaparty #vintagetea #antique #antiques #antiqueshop #englishantiques #finebonechina #porcelain #porcelaincup #teacupcollector #porcelaincups #teacuplover #interiordesign #finechina #interiordesigner #decorativeantiques #industrialrevolution #aestheticmovement #antique_r_us #antiqueporcelain #onetofollow #igtv #igtvchannel
Today another of the Davenport items I found the other day: a gorgeous Rococo Revival plate from about 1855. The Rococo Revival era lasted until about 1850-ish so this was a straggler of the style, but people would have wanted replacements for broken items in their beautiful dinner and dessert services, so potteries kept making this style for a while. This plate would have been part of a large dessert service. Although I have only this one plate, it is gorgeous just by itself. It is wonderfully potted in the “vine” shape, with 6 pairs of vine leaves on the rim. Apart from the bold teal colour, what is fascinating about this plate is the three incredibly finely painted landscapes. It is almost impossible to imagine how people were able to paint so finely. I don’t know about you, but my eyes started to fail when I was around 45 years old. A fully trained porcelain painter would need a couple of decades of training since beginning as a teenage-apprentice. There were no “daylight lamps’, studios were dark and cold, the weather in the North of England less than clement - how did they do it? And yet, they did. You can find this little miracle in my shop, or send me a private message for more info 🍽💚🏞 . . #gentlerattleofchina #rattlethecups #hightea #highteaparty #vintageteaparty #antique #antiques #antiqueshop #englishantiques #englishantiques #finebonechina #porcelain #porcelaincup #teacupcollector #porcelaincups #teacuplover #interiordesign #finechina #interiordesigner #decorativeantiques #antique_r_us #antiqueporcelain #dinnerparty #desserttable #dessertporn #onetofollow #davenport #rococorevival
SOLD - Unlike the Victorian teacups of the last few days, Rococo Revival teacups are usually wide and generous in shape, and have these wonderful “rustic” handles - as if they were made of an artfully bent twig. This Grainger teacup from about 1835 in the “Gloster” shape is such a cup: sophisticated and original. It doesn’t have any flower painting, but it has the most wonderful gilt scribbles on a warm grey ground, which creates a very sophisticated combination. You can see all sorts of things in the gilt pattern: leaves, roots, the moulded dots on the rims are picked out in gilt, and in the centre of the cup and the saucer there is an adorable acorn pattern. The rims are moulded nicely with a jewelled pattern consisting of little dots. Did you know that these mouldings are not only for looks, but also enhance your experience of tea? When a baby is born, the one well-developed sense it has is the mouth, and throughout life our mouth remains our most sensitive organ. So to stimulate the lips by having a slight moulding in the rim of the cup increases our ability to taste. You can find this very sophisticated cup in my shop, or send me a private message for info 👄☕️👶 . . . . #gentlerattleofchina #rattlethecups #hightea #highteaparty #vintageteaparty #vintagetea #antique #antiques #antiqueshop #englishantiques #englishantiques #finebonechina #porcelain #porcelaincup #teacupcollector #porcelaincups #teacuplover #interiordesign #finechina #interiordesigner #decorativeantiques #rococorevival #finechina #antique_r_us #antiqueporcelain #grainger
Like yesterday’s Davenport teacup, today I have a mid-Victorian set, this time from the 1860s. It was made by Brown-Westhead & Moore, which had been called Ridgway until only a few years earlier. This set is very Mid-Victorian in the way the teacup is narrow, rather than the wide Rococo cups of the 1840s. While design for the super-rich and for the huge exhibitions that started to take place across Europe became ever more lavish and opulent, every-day tea services became more simple and homely - probably the effect of the Victorian emphasis on family life and restraint. And perhaps also a sign that the market was starting to cater to a new middle class who would not spend money on very lavish tableware, but just wanted a beautiful set that they could afford (and, I guess, the kids wouldn’t destroy!). This beautiful trio is in the new style: a cup, saucer and little cake plate - also a sign of the times as it became more normal to have tea with a little something. It shows beautiful acanthus leaves - or are they oak leaves? and are these wheat ears? it is very finely potted and shining brightly. You can find this little beauty in my shop, or send me a private message for more info 💚🌿☕️ . . #gentlerattleofchina #rattlethecups #hightea #highteaparty #vintageteaparty #vintagetea #antique #antiques #antiqueshop #englishantiques #englishantiques #finebonechina #porcelain #porcelaincup #teacupcollector #porcelaincups #teacuplover #interiordesign #finechina #interiordesigner #decorativeantiques #finechina #antique_r_us #antiqueporcelain #victorian #brownwestheadmoore #ridgway
This is the second of several Davenport items I came across a while ago. The teacup and saucer are typical of the 1850s; after the rather outlandish Rococo Revival in the 1830s and 1840s people wanted something more simple. Isn’t this always what happens? The Georgian style was austere; in the Regency period austerity was over and style became lavish; then people wanted something more original and the Rococo Revival brought outlandish designs; but the next generation got fed up with that and chose elegant simplicity for their items for daily use. Teacups became more narrow to express Victorian restraint, there were less flowers and birds and Queen Victoria’s preference for fresh turquoise colours was widely copied. In spite of greater simplicity, the quality was high and designs were often very sophisticated. This is a wonderful abstract design that became quite well known; I love it for its simplicity, bright colours and yet it has true sophistication. The cup and the plate are a related but slightly different pattern from about the same period; I also have a similar plate with just gilt that was done 20 years later. It is likely that one lady built up a service throughout her married life; they would have been passed down the generations and been broken bit by bit, and when the last descendant died it all ended up in an auction house, where I found it as part of a large collection of random porcelain items. Now these survivors are waiting for a new life! You can find them in my shop, or send me a private message for more info ⭐️ 🦋 🎀 . . . . #gentlerattleofchina #rattlethecups #hightea #highteaparty #vintageteaparty #vintagetea #antique #antiques #antiqueshop #englishantiques #englishantiques #finebonechina #porcelain #porcelaincup #teacupcollector #porcelaincups #teacuplover #interiordesign #finechina #interiordesigner #decorativeantiques #finechina #antique_r_us #antiqueporcelain #victorian #davenport
Today I am adding another post in my “Japonism” series - the design style emerging in the 1870s and 1880s that was inspired by Japanese art. What is more Japanese than wonderful blossoms? I should really show this cup in the spring, but as the autumn is now well underway here in London, I love looking at this cup and imagining spring. This set was made by Edwin J.D. Bodley, a pottery that became famous for their Aesthetic Movement and, in particular, Japanese-inspired designs. This cup is an iconic Bodley shape - whenever you see it, you can be sure it is a Bodley. It is beautifully potted in smooth, very white bone china. The design is a wonderful image of blossoms, printed in warm brown and then picked off in pink and yellow. This method of combining transfer printing with only a few colour highlights greatly reduced the amount of skilled handwork needed for each item, and in a time when (thankfully!) child labour was banned and therefore wages were going up, this was a practical solution to a new problem. You can find this wonderful little burst of spring blossoms in my shop, or send me a private message for more info 🌸☕️🌺 . . #gentlerattleofchina #rattlethecups #hightea #highteaparty #vintageteaparty #vintagetea #antique #antiques #antiqueshop #englishantiques #englishantiques #finebonechina #porcelain #porcelaincup #teacupcollector #porcelaincups #teacuplover #interiordesign #finechina #interiordesigner #decorativeantiques #finechina #antique_r_us #antiqueporcelain #aestheticmovement #japanesecherryblossoms #japonism #bodley #blossoms

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