The story attached to the pattern is that there was once a mandarin (living in the large pagoda) who had a beautiful daughter named Koong Shi. He had promised her in marriage to a wealthy but ancient merchant, but she had fallen in love with her father’s secretary, a handsome young man named Chang. When the mandarin discovered this he banished Chang from the house; so the young man wrote Koong Shi a heartbroken note of farewell and floated it down the river past her window, in a coconut shell.

But Koong Shi, who was quite as obstinate as her father, sent the little ship back on the next tide with a note pointing out that she had already been a prisoner since the catkins came out on the willow tree; by the time the peach blossom came out she expected Chang to come and take her away. She reminded him of the old Chinese proverb that wise husbandmen gathered their fruit while it was ripe, instead of waiting for it to be stolen. So Chang waited for the eve of the wedding celebration, and in the confusion of the comings and goings, bore her off, together with her jewels. As soon as the mandarin discovered the elopement, he gave chase. So in the normal standard design you see three figures on the bridge—Koong Shi carrying her distaff (she would now presumably have to make her own clothes), Chang hanging on tightly to the jewel box, and the irate mandarin behind brandishing a whip.

The lovers were apparently trying to reach Chang’s home on the island, but they only just reached the little house before the mandarin caught them up, and in his fury burned the place to the ground with the lovers inside it. Just in time, the kindly gods—always on the lovers’ side in these affairs—transformed them into a pair of turtle doves, so that they could bill and coo over the river for ever.

Well, there it is, and I am afraid the learned men now dismiss this as a pure invention made to fit the design. But sometimes I just wonder if Thomas Turner, talking to some old Chinese importer of porcelain in Paris, did not hear a story like it, and decided to build a picture round it.

Moving on to other patterns, I suppose the next most famous and old-established is Spode’s “Blue Italian,” the one shown in our rolled-out pattern. This, too, is being made again today. It is one of the early Italian landscape patterns produced by Spode and others, using famous pictures or engravings, which had been published in book form. A whole lot of these came out between 1806 and 1826, which is one of the Caramanian series taken from a book called “Mayer’s Views in Asia Minor, mainly in Caramania.” There are also the “Indian Sporting” series, showing pictures of hunting scenes in the jungle and many classical and Chinese patterns.

I should warn you that these early Spodes have been sought by those American collectors for years, and choice pieces make a lot of money. On the other hand I recently found three of the Caramanian plates for only ten shillings apiece.

One of the reasons why Americans are so interested in these wares is that in the last century Staffordshire potters did an enormous export trade in them, bringing out designs especially for that market, with famous American beauty spots, historical buildings as well as scenes of the early pioneer days. You do not often come across these in England, of course, but there were just as many English views and scenes. Literally hundreds of potters went in for this ware, some of them household names like Ridgways, Clews, Davenport, Adams, Mayers, Mintons, etc., and other small, short-lived firms now forgotten. Staffordshire, of course, is only an indication of type : the wares were made in the other potteries as well.

Many of the smaller potters used each others’ copper plates, or would copy designs with slight differences. Some had their own distinctive borders, and this is often the way to hunt down a maker when there is no mark.

Remember, too, that you are not only looking for plates and dishes. There are finely shaped tureens, sauce boats, salad centres, salts, peppers and mustards, as well as tea and coffee things, egg cups, knife rests, etc.

One final point about the dresser, and that is, what happens when you’ve filled it.

The answer is that you go on collecting. The Chinese do not display their pictures on their walls, for they find that after a while they cease to look at them, accepting them as part of the furnishing. So they keep them rolled up and bring them out only when they want to enjoy them, like turning on the television. In the same sort of way, you ought to let your collection overflow into the cupboards below the dresser, so that every now and then you can change your display. You will find it every bit as refreshing as buying a new hat!

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