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  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  May, 
  1907 
  

  

  2 
  — 
  Punch 
  Bowl 
  and 
  Table 
  Service 
  

  

  with 
  the 
  armorial 
  decoration 
  which 
  is 
  most 
  sought 
  now, 
  and 
  

   though 
  the 
  heraldic 
  decorations 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  this 
  country 
  

   are 
  distinctly 
  less 
  ornate 
  than 
  those 
  found 
  in 
  England, 
  still 
  

   enough 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  met 
  with 
  here 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  student 
  of 
  

   heraldry 
  quite 
  busy 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  decipher 
  the 
  devices. 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  the 
  fashion 
  during 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  eighteenth 
  

   century 
  to 
  ornament 
  household 
  belongings 
  with 
  coats-of- 
  

   arms, 
  as 
  may 
  be 
  seen 
  on 
  the 
  splendid 
  old 
  silverware 
  of 
  the 
  

   times. 
  The 
  china 
  followed 
  suit, 
  and 
  nearly 
  every 
  ship 
  of 
  

   the 
  East 
  India 
  Trading 
  Company, 
  the 
  Dutch 
  East 
  India 
  

   Company, 
  and 
  the 
  stout 
  ships 
  which 
  went 
  "round 
  the 
  Horn" 
  

   from 
  our 
  own 
  seaports, 
  carried 
  patterns 
  to 
  the 
  Orient. 
  Not 
  

   only 
  this, 
  they 
  no 
  doubt 
  carried 
  examples 
  of 
  English 
  pottery, 
  

   of 
  Staffordshire 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  of 
  choicer 
  makes, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  

   Chinese 
  artist 
  could 
  copy 
  in 
  his 
  own 
  fashion 
  the 
  style 
  of 
  

   work 
  in 
  vogue 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  in 
  England. 
  Very 
  charmingly, 
  

   too, 
  did 
  the 
  Celestial 
  artist 
  treat 
  these 
  little 
  sprigs 
  and 
  

  

  3 
  — 
  Cup 
  and 
  Chocolate 
  Pot 
  

  

  bunches 
  of 
  flowers, 
  and 
  never, 
  till 
  you 
  begin 
  to 
  collect, 
  will 
  

   you 
  guess 
  the 
  variations 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  rung 
  on 
  the 
  theme 
  of 
  

   a 
  rose, 
  two 
  leaves, 
  and 
  three 
  unnamed 
  little 
  posies. 
  

  

  Besides 
  all 
  the 
  services 
  which 
  were 
  decorated 
  to 
  order 
  

   with 
  individual 
  devices, 
  there 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  certain 
  

   "stock 
  patterns" 
  which 
  could 
  be 
  used 
  when 
  only 
  initials 
  were 
  

   wanted. 
  The 
  commonest 
  of 
  these 
  were 
  a 
  shield 
  on 
  which 
  

   the 
  entwined 
  initials 
  were 
  placed, 
  the 
  whole 
  design 
  being 
  sur- 
  

   mounted 
  by 
  two 
  birds 
  billing. 
  A 
  vine 
  in 
  red 
  or 
  green 
  ac- 
  

   companies 
  this 
  pattern, 
  and 
  sometimes 
  the 
  two 
  colors 
  are 
  

   combined, 
  or 
  black 
  or 
  brown 
  may 
  be 
  used. 
  Sometimes 
  in- 
  

   stead 
  of 
  the 
  vine 
  the 
  pattern 
  which 
  is 
  used 
  as 
  an 
  edging 
  is 
  

  

  that 
  decoration 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  "grain 
  of 
  rice." 
  It 
  looks 
  like 
  

   a 
  row 
  of 
  rice 
  grains 
  set 
  end 
  to 
  end, 
  and 
  very 
  frequently 
  is 
  

   red 
  in 
  color. 
  I 
  have 
  a 
  small 
  bowl 
  decorated 
  on 
  the 
  outside 
  

   with 
  grain 
  of 
  rice, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  inner 
  edge 
  with 
  an 
  elaborate 
  

   arrangement 
  of 
  dots 
  in 
  festoons, 
  in 
  every 
  alternate 
  one 
  of 
  

   which 
  is 
  a 
  bunch 
  of 
  roses. 
  

  

  All 
  the 
  decoration 
  of 
  this 
  Armorial 
  or 
  Lowestoft 
  china 
  

   is 
  over-glaze, 
  hence 
  it 
  wears 
  off 
  with 
  much 
  use; 
  you 
  can 
  see 
  

   in 
  Fig. 
  1 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  indistinct 
  in 
  places. 
  The 
  gold 
  which 
  was 
  

   used 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  of 
  poor 
  quality, 
  and 
  that 
  always 
  

   wears 
  off 
  first. 
  It 
  is 
  sometimes 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  speculation 
  why, 
  

   when 
  such 
  large 
  quantities 
  of 
  this 
  china 
  were 
  sent 
  to 
  Eng- 
  

   land 
  and 
  America, 
  none 
  without 
  decoration 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  found. 
  

   The 
  explanation 
  is 
  simple. 
  All 
  undecorated 
  china 
  brought 
  

   from 
  the 
  East 
  into 
  England 
  between 
  the 
  years 
  1775 
  and 
  

   1800 
  was 
  taxed, 
  and 
  these 
  were 
  the 
  years 
  when 
  this 
  style 
  

   of 
  china 
  was 
  at 
  its 
  greatest 
  popularity. 
  

  

  The 
  tea-caddy 
  in 
  Fig. 
  1 
  shows 
  fluted 
  sides 
  and 
  a 
  slight 
  

   decoration 
  in 
  monochrome. 
  The 
  cover 
  is 
  wanting, 
  but 
  it 
  

   was 
  no 
  doubt 
  of 
  the 
  usual 
  pattern, 
  with 
  either 
  the 
  rough 
  

   nut 
  or 
  the 
  little 
  seated 
  dog 
  on 
  top. 
  These 
  knobs 
  never 
  seem 
  

   to 
  have 
  varied 
  in 
  design. 
  The 
  tea-caddies 
  are 
  always 
  small 
  

   pretty 
  little 
  affairs, 
  very 
  often 
  standing 
  in 
  a 
  small 
  tray 
  with 
  

   decoration 
  to 
  match. 
  The 
  price 
  of 
  tea 
  was 
  so 
  great 
  that 
  the 
  

   receptacles 
  for 
  holding 
  it 
  were 
  made 
  very 
  small. 
  It 
  was 
  on 
  

   sale 
  in 
  Boston 
  by 
  1690, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  next 
  year 
  it 
  could 
  be 
  

   procured 
  at 
  four 
  tea-houses. 
  It 
  was 
  advertised 
  for 
  sale 
  in 
  

  

  4 
  — 
  Platter 
  with 
  " 
  Sprigged 
  " 
  Pattern 
  

  

  