The term Willow was a name the applied to much of the blue and white porcelain patterns imported to England from China during the second half of the eighteenth century. Imports from China all but ceased as British potters developed the capacity to produce viable replicas of the coveted style.
The Willow Pattern is purported to have been developed by Thomas Minton in Staffordshire, England, c.1790. Alternatively, it is alleged that Thomas Turner of Caughley porcelain first produced the Willow Pattern in c. 1780. Whatever the origins of the coveted style, the Willow Pattern has been a stock-pattern of virtually every British pottery manufacturer for more than a century and a half.
The Willow Pattern is transerferware with a white background and the design most commonly in blue. John Sadler and Guy Green of Liverpool developed the transfer printing process in 1756. Transfer printing required the use of copper plates that were etched with the design. The plates are coated with ink and the pattern is transferred to tissue that is placed atop a bisque-fired ceramic, which must be glazed and fired again.
The exact origin of the Willow Pattern is unknown. It has been attributed to an ancient Chinese legend based on the story of ill-fated love. Many contend that the Willow Pattern legend was invented in England over 200 years ago to bolster pottery sales. According to the legend, a wealthy Mandarin had a daughter, Koong-se, who fell in love with an underling, Chang. The father disapproved and constructed a high fence around his palace to separate the lovers.
Koong-se was betrothed to an aristocrat, who traveled by boat to claim his bride laden with dowry. On the eve of the arranged marriage, Chang disguised himself as a servent and crept into the palace. He escaped with Koong-se and the aristocrats offering. The aristocrat eventually uncovered the lovers sanctuary and had the pair put to death. Moved by their plight, the gods transformed the lovers into doves.