Blue Willow Carafe and Candle Warmer

  

Vintage blue willow carafe & candle warmer. No chips or cracks in carafe. The candle warmer has a crack has shown in pic. In very good pre-owned condition. Would make an excellent addition to any blue and white collection.

This is an unmarked piece. I personally love the candle and the black marks on the bottom of the carafe. It makes my imagination go wild and think. Were two friends the last people who actually used this- or- was it someone alone, simply enjoying a warm beverage. 10.5" tall (total); 7" wide.

The pattern may look idyllic, but the story behind the blue willow pattern is one of forbidden, star-crossed love according to collectors, the pattern tells the story of a wealthy merchant named tso ling who had a beautiful daughter named kwang-se. The father and daughter resided in a beautiful pagoda, situated under a pine tree next to a bridge. Tso ling promised his daughter's hand in marriage to a wealthy businessman associate of his. Unbeknownst to tso ling, kwang-se fell in love with chang, her father's kind and handsome but poor clerk. When tso ling found out about the secret relationship, he was furious.

To prevent the affair from interfering with the plans he made for his kwang-se, he kept kwang-se locked up. The two managed to elope across the sea to a cottage.

As legend has it, tso ling would not stand for this and went after them by boat. He was about to have them killed when the gods intervened and transformed the lovers into turtle doves. Look closely at the design, and you'll notice several features of the story, including the two doves gazing into each other's eyes. Thank you for shopping at nana's.

Please review the photos carefully; they are important to this description. More photos are available upon request. All of our items are at least 20 years old and in some cases much older.

We will point out any major issues with each item, in photos, written description, or both, however please note that our items are vintage and not brand new. This item is made of ceramic.