Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Jumbo Influenced Early White Ironstone





This early English White Ironstone Ewer was created by Henry Alcock in 1890. He named this shape Jumbo for PT Barnum's huge famous circus elephant.

This pitcher has a lovely graceful shape and a wonderful embossed daisy pattern on both sides of the top and bottom of the handle. The handle is what makes this ewer quite special with its elephant thumb rest - Jumbo.

The Jumbo shape is a favorite with collectors of early English White Ironstone!


Pictured items are available for purchase at Holly Lane Antiques -
(Click on the banner to visit Holly Lane Antiques Internet Store)

The Biggest Teapot I Have Ever Seen -


This is a very large and quite unusual teapot. I have never seen one quite like it!

It was made by Copeland Spode England. The pattern is Camilla. Camilla Is A Brown Transferware Pattern. The Central Spray Is Thought To Be Of The Tea Plant Camellia Sinensis From Which The Pattern May Have Derived Its Name. This pattern was designed in 1833. It was first printed in blue and later offered in a wide variety of colors - brown being one of the rarer colors.

This teapot measures 13 1/2 inches across including the handle and spout and stands 7 1/4 inches tall. It is so large there is a second handle above the spout - necessary since it is quite heavy when full.

Such a tea party one could have with this pot!

Pictured items are available for purchase at Holly Lane Antiques -
(Click on the banner to visit Holly Lane Antiques Internet Store)

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Very Special Antique Haviland






The Meadow Visitors Pattern of Haviland Limoges is very special and difficult to find. This early and unique pattern of Haviland dates to 1876 - 1899 and has been identified by Arlene Schleiger as #1155. When one thinks of antique Haviland Limoges china it is most often of the typical patterns of pink roses and other florals. Each piece of Haviland Meadow Visitors features different grasses, flowers, birds and butterflies and is highlighted with hand touched enamel accents. Each is quite charming and a wonderful representation of springtime!

Pictured items are available for purchase at Holly Lane Antiques -
(Click on the banner to visit Holly Lane Antiques Internet Store)

Thursday, February 12, 2009

A New Find -





This early English White Ironstone Ewer is the newest addition to my collection. Its shape is simply elegant - note its narrowing neck. The leaf embossing adds to its beauty as does the bud thumb rest on the handle. This ewer is the Sevres Shape of John Edwards of Fenton England and dates to the 1870's. This very special piece of English White Ironstone will take its place in my private collection - at least for awhile.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Pink Roses And Gold Trim







Quite often we are asked how one goes about completing a set of antique Haviland China that they have received from a family member. They are very quick to provide the information that their pattern is the one with pink roses and gold trim. They do not realize that there are hundreds of antique Haviland Limoges china patterns and many of them have pink roses and gold trim. Making their search even more difficult is the fact that most antique Haviland patterns do not have names - only a few are identified with a pattern name on the back. Arlene Schleiger has identified hundreds of the patterns with what are referred to as Schleiger numbers and published her findings in several books with sketches of the patterns. Since there are so many patterns completing a Haviland china set can be quite difficult.

Many have created a special table setting by choosing to combine the same pattern on different blanks or to combine the same blank with different pink patterns. The blank is the shape of the plate before it is decorated. The pattern is the design added to the blank. Still others choose to mix many varied pink floral patterns with gold trim - using a place setting of each for a unique table.

Which ever way one may choose to complete their antique Haviland Limoges china pattern the end result will be beautiful. There is nothing quite like antique Haviland Limoges china!

Pictured items are available for purchase at Holly Lane Antiques -
(Click on the banner to visit Holly Lane Antiques Internet Store)

Monday, February 9, 2009

Something Special -





Recently at an estate auction I was quite taken with these Antique French Plates though I knew nothing about them other than that the auctioneer said they were old and French. I did know they were charming! So I bid on them. My research of the back mark tells me that they date to the 19th century and were made by Utzchneider & Co from the Sarreguemines area of France. At a recent Antiques Show we participated in, a visitor to our booth told me they represent French Nursery Rhymes. That information makes them all the more special and charming to me. There are many items in our inventory I become attached to and these plates fall into that category. So I enjoy them while they are with me and pass them on when they touch another's heart as they did mine.

Pictured items are available for purchase at our internet store -
(Click on the banner to visit Holly Lane Antiques Internet Store)

Sunday, February 8, 2009

And Now -



Holly Lane Antiques has evolved through the past ten years to what it is today. I rarely sell on Ebay any more - now concentrating my efforts on our internet store at the Antique Arts website. We do continue to participate in a full schedule of Antiques Shows - mostly in the New England area but also in Southern California where we spend a part of the year. Antique Haviland Limoges china remains our specialty and I still wonder at its beauty when I discover a pattern for the first time. Our inventory of Haviland China is numbered at many, many hundreds of pieces and is constantly changing. My passion for early White Ironstone continues and my collection grows continually. And we continue to round out our inventory - as suggested to us so many years ago - to include antique and vintage linens, silver and glass along with collectible china of other makers. Our latest and growing interest has been in English Transferware. We hope you will visit our internet store and perhaps some day be able to visit our booth at an Antique Show.

Pictured items are available for purchase at Holly Lane Antiques -
(Click on the banner to visit Holly Lane Antiques Internet Store)

And Continuing - A New Passion


At one of our Antique Shows a lady stopped by our booth and invited us to her house to see a set of Haviland china she had for sale. We went and found that she and her husband had been antique collectors for many years and were now liquidating their collections. She had a wonderful collection of early white ironstone that she was parting with. All the while I was looking at the Haviland I couldn't help but have my eyes wander over to the white ironstone. We left with the Haviland china but more importantly with several pieces of the white ironstone. I had found a new passion! We returned a couple more times to add to my beginning collection of white ironstone. I have found that I favor the early English white ironstone especially those pieces with embossed floral designs and especially the large ewers / pitchers. Each of the white ironstone pitchers in my collection seems to have its own personality. Buyers come to our booth at the Antique Shows and just stand and look for awhile - sometimes a long while - before choosing the one that suits their personality - as varied as the pitchers.

Pictured items are available for purchase at Holly Lane Antiques -
(Click on the banner to visit Holly Lane Antiques Internet Store)

Continuing -




I was enjoying selling on Ebay and my time spent handling this beautiful antique Haviland Limoges china. However - something was missing! Who were these people who appreciated it as much as I did? I missed the personal interaction with my buyers. We decided to try participating in local Antique Shows. We needed to be more official - so Holly Lane Antiques was born. At our first show an experienced show participator told us our display of Haviland china was beautiful but for success on the show circuit we needed to broaden our inventory to include other items. A natural extension of our inventory began and we included antique and vintage linens, glass, silver and collectible china from other makers. We continued the Antique Shows and I enjoyed the discussions and sharings with our customers. I soon found that selling on Ebay and participating in Antique Shows gave a more rounded appeal to Holly Lane Antiques - the best of both worlds!

Pictured items are available for purchase at Holly Lane Antiques -
(Click on the banner to visit Holly Lane Antiques Internet Store)

Saturday, February 7, 2009

The Beginning -


With retirement came the calling of my roots back to Rhode Island. We decided to build our retirement home near my sister who had lived in this special small Rhode Island town most of her life, As I had been living the transient life of a Navy wife, she had been living with and selling antiques. She shared her love of things from long ago with me as she shared her love of living in this special place. She taught me well and our house was furnished with many lovely antiques.

Then - there I was in this beautiful place - a retired teacher who did not know how to be idle.

At a local estate auction we purchased a set of antique Haviland Limoges china and proceeded to sell it piece by piece on Ebay. That was the beginning and thanks to a lady named Dixie in Texas I was successful with that first purchase. Those pieces of Haviland china were the first of the many, many hundreds I now have in my inventory. No longer was I idle! I spent my time searching New England for more and more lovely antique Haviland Limoges china and passing it on through Ebay to others all over the world. Learning the history of this china and becoming acquainted with its hundreds of patterns was amazing. I had found a new venture that was seemingly perfect - with time left to work in my gardens and walk on the beach.

But - there was something missing! Who were these people who were buying this beautiful antique Haviland Limoges china?

Pictured items are available for purchase at Holly Lane Antiques -
(Click on the banner to visit Holly Lane Antiques Internet Store)