Favourite China~

While I am waiting for the paint to dry in the laundry room I thought I would write a quick post. My mother-in-law (oh, and my father-in-law, can't forget him, I hope that improves the "good daughter" points, a family inside joke) read my blog quite faithfully. She is a brilliant woman and quite a wordsmith so I am always making sure that my posts are as grammatically correct as they can be. She gave me several suggestions on what to write about and one of them was about my beautiful Czech blue onion china. 

A little historical note: The porcelain is called "blue onion" but there are really no onions on the dishes. The design has Asian influences as there are pomegranates, bamboo and Asian flowers in the design. The porcelain design began around the same time china was being produced in Europe after the Europeans discovered the Chinese way of in-glazing cobalt. This particular pattern has been around for about 200 hundred years and original pieces are quite valuable. If you want to read more this website has some great information.

My Czech grandmothers started collecting this china for me when I was about 10. My sister and my cousin were both lucky to receive sets also. I have been s-l-o-w-l-y adding to the set over the years. Every time my parents head to Prague my fingers are crossed that a new addition will make its way over the ocean and into my cabinet. My plan is to set the table with my china and the wonderful antique silverware my husband inherited from his grandmother, Grandma Mary, and then take some photos.


 My mother-in-law was fortunate to inherit some antique Chinese rose medallion porcelain and Canton blue Chinese china (which I absolutely love!) from Grandma Mary.

Photo: http://aarf.com/fecant98.htm


 I love the intricate designs and shapes of her dishes. When we toured Mount Vernon, George Washington's Plantation in Virginia, we discovered that he ate from the same Canton dishes! You can read more about those dishes here.