New beginnings
I think we may never have been so conscious of new beginnings as this new year. Although I feel a sense of relief to have made it through the challenging last year, it is dampened by the sadness of so many lives lost and the loneliness of lockdown life. I was toasting my neighbours in the street at midnight (all socially distanced of course!) and we were having a dance to music blaring from a balcony, yet my thoughts are constantly with several friends who lost close family in the last few days. But enjoying beauty is one way we can keep our spirits up and share the goodness of life!
Today I am showing a stunning dessert service made by Spode in 1822. I came across it not long ago and instantly fell in love with it; the fresh pale yellow colour, the spunky "Oeil de Perdrix" decoration, and of course the beautifully hand painted flowers. And last but not least... the butterfly tureens! These are among the most popular shapes Spode made and hard to find, as they have often broken over the years. This set, amazingly, is in absolutely perfect condition.
I can't stop looking at the details! So until someone buys it and take it to its new forever-home, I will just keep enjoying looking at it.
People often ask what those tureens were for. In the early 19th Century, desserts were mostly themed around fruit; the cakes that we now often call dessert came in a little later. There may even have been some ice cream - this service had ice pails previously but unfortunately those were sold before I saw them. So if there is fruit and trifle, crumble and perhaps some ice cream, you will need a nice fruit compote to go with it; hence the sauce tureens. And as compote can be a messy business, they have their own stands. They would also have been good for cream or custard of course - as every British person knows, a necessity for eating trifle or crumble!
You can find this stunning set in my shop here, and there is a page with all my dessert services here. If you always want to see the latest additions, follow me on Instagram... I post pictures and a story every single day.
Happy weekend, and start the new year with some beauty! 💛💛💛
This week's new treasures:
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