The legend says that Louis XIV had all his silver plates melted down to be replaced with blue and white porcelain from China. It says he told the people the plates were melted down to fund a war; but that it was all a ruse to get Louis what he really wanted; blue and white China.
Blue and white was first invented by Chinese potters in the 14th century AD. Supposedly it was first brought to Europe by the Sultan of Egypt. In 1461 he gave twenty pieces of blue and white porcelain (China) to the Doge of Venice. From there the trend spread northward throughout Europe and eventually to America.
As time went by European potters figured out how to make porcelain (which the Chinese had managed to keep a secret for a few hundred years) and began to make blue and white designs in the Chinese fashion. By the 19th century there were hundreds of European porcelain companies manufacturing China (as it had come to be known).
One of these companies is Herend. The porcelain company still paints its porcelain by hand- which of course increases its value. The China dinner and salad plates on my table are from Herend. Eating off of something that was hand-painted just for you is a treat!
My actual dining room table is currently serving as a home school base; so I set a side table for two! Since it’s Easter I added pink and other pastels to my tablescape. Since, my formal china is blue and white I always add blue and white decorative pieces to my tablescapes. I actually think that blue and white china pieces work as a neutral and that you can add pretty much any accent color you want. For example, I use tons of red and plaid at Christmas.
For this look I added pops of pink, orange, green and yellow with my tablecloth, cut flowers from my yard, and my sweet Easter Annalee dolls.
https://video.wixstatic.com/video/11e6dd_f20bced8428b4f88bfc79feeabc1102e/720p/mp4/file.mp4
I hope you enjoyed learning about Blue and White China today! I wish you and your families a very happy EASTER!
Lydia
