WOMAN'S HOME 460 By Mrs. WILLOUGHBY HODGSON The Story of the Willow Pattern and its Origin — Where the Pattern Has Been Used in England, and the Forms Which Have Been Adopted— Forgeries— The Use ol the Willow-Pattern Plate for Decorative Purposes " Two pigeons flying high, Chinese vessel sailing by ; Weeping willow hanging o'er, Bridge with three men — if not four ; Chinese temple, there it stands. Seems to cover all the land ; Apple-tree with apples on, A pretty fence to end my song." 'hus runs the fascinating little poem of the willow pattern, and the story is like unto it. A willow'pattern plate, a replica of the original willow pattern Koong-Shee, a lovely Chinese maiden, bestowed her affections upon Chang, her father's secretary. Their meetings were discovered by the mandarin, who ordered his daughter to wed a wealthy suitor. Upon her refusal to comply, the enraged father locked her up in the little house seen upon the left side of the temple. Here the lovely maiden watched from her window the willow-tree blossom, and wrote poems ex- pressing her longing to be free ere the peach bloomed. Chang managed to communicate with her by means of a scroll enclosed in a cocoanut shell, to which was attached a tiny sail. Koong-Shee replied in these words, scratched upon a tablet : " Do not wise husbandmen gather the fruits they fear will be stolen ? " Thus encouraged, Chang, by means of a disguise, entered' the garden and succeeded in carrying off the maiden. On the plate the pair are hurrying over the bridge — Koong-Shee with a distaff, Chang carrying a box of jewels, while the enraged mandarin follows hard after them armed with a whip. The lovers made good their escape in the little ship " sailing by," and, landing upon the island on the right, lived for many years in peace and happiness. One day the discarded wealthy suitor arrived upon the scene, and set fire to their dwelling. Thus the lovers perished. But from the ashes of their home their spirits rose phoenix-like in the form of two doves. The origin of the story and pattern is not known. It may have been English, and it was certainly inspired, like all early designs found upon our pottery and porcelain, by the Chinese. However this may be, it is certain that no pattern took a greater hold upon the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century potter than did this willow pattern ; and perhaps in the ranks of the average collector it has been more sought after than any other. The reasons for this are not far to seek. In the first place, there is association. An old willow-pattern dinner-service or a few plates and dishes have a nook in the memory of most people. Then the pattern was so largely used that there is still much to be Some charming specimens of Turner's porcelain decorated with the willow pattern
