Flow Blue China Patterns

Lugano Flow Blue Plate Detail

Some of my favorite china is blue and white.  I love the combination of cobalt blue with the clean white, ivory, or creamy off whites of the base porcelain.  This combination has resonated with more then just me, and starting in the 1800's, blue and white china from many manufacturers in many patterns were popular with china purchasing customers.

Astoria Flow Blue China

An important historical subset of blue and white china is called flow blue.  There are many sites that can describe the "how and whys" of flow blue china, but I will just describe flow blue in my own words.  Flow blue china has deep cobalt blue color applied over a white china base, and the chemistry over time has blurred the once crisp lines.  Instead of this manufacturing problem disappointing customers, the resulting dreamier blurry lines have inspired fans and collectors, including me.  

Lugano Flow Blue China

I wish my photos could show you the beauty of the flow blue plates - the beauty that I see when I hold them in my hands.  The colors from a distance command attention, and then the delicate lines, flowers and scroll work hold your attention when you examine the patterns up close.  The soft blurry lines seems to contradict the cool smoothness of the china itself -- china which is smooth and hard to the touch, and yet known to be fragile, 'breakable'.  Times has 'changed' this seemingly permanent china, and yet the touch of time has been kind.  

I can stare at a single plate for minutes at a time - time many of us rarely have the ability to take.  (OMG, strange...)  I'll point out only a few details to notice in the three photo-mosaics I have assembled here.  The Astoria china photo-mosaic shows details from two different plates on the bottom edge.  There is a large difference in the blurring between the two plates, yet I got them together and believe they were likely to have been purchased originally at the same time.  The Lugano flow blue plate has brush stokes visible in the solid blue background, which I find I enjoy.  And the Brunswick china has dots that have blurred to form the solid blue background.

Brunswick Flow Blue China plate

Another fun fact about my collection of flow blue is that most of my flow blue  plates are chipped, crazed and/or flawed.  I call them my collection of chipped and broken plates.  I couldn't/can't afford 'perfect pieces'.  Originally I collected chipped and even broken plates (usually glued together by a previous owner).  I have favorite antique dealers, who have kindly 'given' me/sold me the damaged pieces that they get when buying a set for sale.  (Many of the dealers I know don't typically resell damaged pieces of non rare china, and yet I know one or two that have a hard time throwing out the damaged piece.) 

Originally I bought broken plates, intended for mosaic projects that would get me "as close to owning flow blue" as I thought I could ever come.  I would also sometimes get chipped plates, but somehow I couldn't use them in my mosaics, and they started showing up on my plate rail or wall, chips included.  (Sometimes with another plate overlapping a chipped area)  [So, if you have a beautiful damaged or broken china plate, you don't want to keep yet don't want to toss, consider contacting me - I will add them to my collection of chipped and broken china orphans that I cherish.  I don't mind a yellow brown rind of old glue running through the center of a beautiful plate.  I can pay shipping and handling ;)  ]

May we all age as gracefully as this china, be lucky to survive intact, and in our old age find a home where we are cherished and loved. 

Click on the images to see them enlarged.

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I am linking up to these memes:

This is my 11th entry to Mosaic Monday (I was entry 15 of 84.)

Roses for Show off your Cottage Mon (Entry 15 of 47.)
Naps on the Porch for Metamorphis Mon (Entry 73 of 324.)
Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Mon 6 (Entry 57 of 72.)
Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tues 49 (Entry 47 of 183.)
House of Grace for Twice Owned Tues 38 (Entry 12 of 68.)
Colorado Lady for Vintage Thingies Thur (Entry 8 of 50.)
Bloggeritaville for Thrifty Thur 101 (Entry 25 of 124.)

Brambleberry for Time Travel Thur 31 (Entry 8 of 36.)
All Thingz for Anything Related 35 (Entry 79 of ?)
Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration 24 (Entry 18 of 103.) 
Romantic Home for Show and Tell (Entry 84 of 312.)
French Country for Feathered Nest Fri #11 (Entry 1 of 119.)

Hills are Living for Favorite Things Friday (Entry 6 of 105) 
The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home 1 (Entry 19 of 50.) 
My Cottage Charm for Trinkets and Treasures (Entry 5 of 7.)

A Picture is Worth for 2nd Time Around (Entry 7 of 10)
Smiling Sally for Blue Monday (Entry 75 of 86.)