Tablescape Thursday: A Garden of Jadeite

Welcome to tablescape thursday number two! Special thank you to Between Naps on the Porch for hosting this fun, weekly event.

This week I have a garden green theme, complete with froggy pitcher and birdie salt and peppers. The luminous jadeite glows in the afternoon sun and yellow napkins add some cheery color to a mostly white background.

Fire King Jade-ite in "Jane Ray" shown with yellow and white
 print napkins from Target

Antique mother of pearl cutlery is mixed with Wallace "Grand Baroque"

An alternative to traditional chargers, printed paper cake-liners from
Sur la Table add a bit of fun to the table.

Tweet tweet! I collect bird salt and peppers.
This colorful pair are from Pottery Barn.

Bee themed glassware by La Rochere. An
"Antique Silver" coaster from Pottery Barn
catches any condensation from cold
 ice tea. Don't want to ruin the printed swiss
dot tablecloth!

I love how the light illuminates jadeite!

I love love love this frog pitcher from Sur la Table!

So as promised, I will share some history bits.

Jadeite

This green colored glass dates back to the 1930's. Started by McKee Glass company, jade kitchenware and dinnerware was originally inexpensive and serviceable. Next came Jeanette Glass Company ewith thier colored glass line. Jeanette coined the term "jadeite." Almost a decade later, Anchor Hocking's Fire-king division introduced their "jade-ite." Now, among collectors, all green glassware of this style is just referred to as jadeite. It remained popular into the 70's, with its hey day during the 40's and 50's. Even at the height of it's popularity it was very cheap. Mostly jadeite was distributed as give aways, sometimes in boxes of oatmeal, other times as a gift if you went to the movie theater.

My pattern, "Jane Ray," was given it's name decades after production by collectors. It is one of Anchor Hocking's domestic lines. Anchor Hocking is most well known for it's "Restaurant Ware" line, which was very hearty and was originally used in institutions such as schools and hospitals. Now it is highly collectable. 

Jadeite is a fun thing to collect. It is relatively inexpensive and very available. Most antique shops or flea markets, even thrift shops, have a some for sale. Basically, you don't have to search too far to come up with a set.

Mother of Pearl Cutlery

The most popular time for mother of pearl (MOP) handled cutlery was late 1800's, early nineteen. MOP handled pieces were popular for dessert service, so they are usually blunt knives and forks. I have yet to come across antique MOP spoon, though I have been looking. I like to use mine for breakfast, since they are very delicate. MOP pieces are often silver plated with sterling ferrules (the little silver band between the handle and fork/knife implement). When they are indeed silver plated, antique MOP can be used as a fish service. Today, stainless steel is made differently than it was in years past, but in Victorian times, steel reacted with the fish and created an off taste, which is why antique fish services pieces are traditionally silver or silver plate.

La Rochere Glasses

La Rochere goes back to 1475 France. If you read French, click here for the company's history. The bee pattern is inspired by the Napoleonic Bee. Apparently, the glasses are based on a set that Napoleon had made with his symbol. Napoleon.org says that the bee is a "Symbol of immortality and resurrection, the bee was chosen so as to link the new dynasty to the very origins of France. Golden bees (in fact, cicadas) were discovered in 1653 in Tournai in the tomb of Childeric I, founder in 457 of the Merovingian dynasty and father of Clovis. They were considered as the oldest emblem of the sovereigns of France."

And to learn about the Wallace "Grand Baroque" silverware, please visit my post from last week.

Happy Thursday all!

Trying something new: Tablescape Thursdays.

Recently I heard about Tablescape Thursdays, from Between Naps on the Porch, and I thought it would be something fun to participate in. I have been a little obsessed with china lately...

Basically, each Thursday, any one who wants to play along gets to submit a "tablescape" to her blog and the blogger does one too. They're quite fun to browse through, and it's almost like a fun homework assignment to come up with a new one each week (I wish we had done that in school!). I don't know if I will participate every time, but I thought I would give it a shot.

With one added rule.

To keep with the theme of my blog, and what motivates me to collect china/silver in the first place, the table has to involve a historical element. Think antique plates, vintage linens, reproduction pieces, etc. I encourage anyone who wants to give it a try. You can link to her page, or just to mine. I would love to see what beautiful, historically inspired tables others can create. Even if it's just a vintage tea cup on a nifty napkin. Go for it!

Since this is my first one, and it's already Thursday (eek! Where has the week gone?), I thought I'd pull a picture from a couple weekends ago. Sunday breakfast. It's the last time I took a picture of my table.

And to note, this is only inspired by history, it in no way is a historically accurate table. Just clearing that up! Also, it's more a set table, than a "table scape" but eh whatever. It's for fun.

Yummy! All gone! 

Coffee set: Herend "Queen Victoria" and "Rothschild Bird"

Tray: Wallace "American Chippendale"

Silverware: Wallace "Grand Baroque"

Plates and Tea Cups/Saucers: Royal Copenhagen "Flora Danica"

Crystal: Waterford "Lismore"

Salt Cellars and Silver Serving Dish: Unknown, but purchased at a silver shop in Merchant Square, in Williamsburg.

Jam Pots: Bacarrat

Egg cups: Unknown, purchased from Bloomingdales.

Small Plates: Bernardaud "Constance"

Butter server: Unknown maker, c. 1920.

Muffineer/Castor: Unknown maker. Purchased on Portobello Rd, London.

Linens: Waterford hemstiched

So a bit about each piece, and why this table is inspired by history:

Starting with the china, I went a bit in depth about Royal Copenhagen's Flora Danica recently. In short, it has been in production since the 18th century. It was originally commissioned as a set for Catherine the Great. The Herend coffee pot is in the "Queen Victoria" pattern. The original set was introduced in 1851 at the First World Exhibition in London. It was purchased by Queen Victoria herself and was later named after her. "Rothschild Bird" was first created in 1860 for the Rothschild family. It portrays a 19th century tale about Baroness Rothschild, who lost a pearl necklace in her garden. Days later it was found by her gardener, who saw birds playing with it in a tree.

The smaller, green plates are by Bernardaud, "Constance," and are Limoges porcelain. Limoges is a hard paste porcelain that has been made in Limoges, France, since the 18th century. Bernardaud was established after the Revolution, and the Contance pattern is reminiscent design during the French Empire.

The antique silver pieces speak for themselves. The covered butter, which can be seen next to the jam pots, is from the 1920's. The sugar castor was a gift, brought back from Portobello Road, and my husband and I picked up the salt cellars and covered serving dish (holding the waffles) when we were in Virginia. 

The silverware is new, but is in the "Grand Baroque" pattern, reminiscent of baroque design. Wallace has been making Grand Baroque since 1941.

The crystal is Waterford, which is one of the oldest crystal manufacturers. It was established in 1783 in Ireland. "Lismore" had it's 50th anniversary in 2002.

The linen under the coffee set is displayed pressed. In the 18th century, linens were set out with creases to show that the house had a press.

P.S. If you want to join in, take this handy badge for your blog: