Happy New Year 2017 from Time Was Antiques

Happy New Year 2017 from Time Was Antiques!

Wishing you all a new year filled with health, happiness, prosperity and joy!

Hoping to do a better job of blogging this year!

World War I China From Royal Albert, The Victoria And Albert Museum

It's been awhile...but life happened, and I had to take a break from one of my blogs...and this was the one that was put on hold for awhile. When my husband was having a bit of a bad patch with Parkinson's Disease, I just didn't have time for everything...any of you ever feel like that????

I think what prompted me was finding this...a fantastic teacup trio from World War I with a 1914 mark by Royal Albert Crown China, England...the early version of Royal Albert China.

The war here was called The European War, and was thought to be "The War To End All Wars" and how I wish that had been the case. The cup and plate bear the words:

 No Price Can Be To High When Honour And Freedom Are At Stake

and that was a very popular slogan at the time.

 

 The flags of France, Russia, Belgium and Japan are depicted in hand painted enamel on transfer with the slogan "United We Stand". These nations were allies of England during the war...but think of what happened in the next decades....

This is the mark...very different from the Royal Albert, England marks we are all familiar with...There is also a cream pitcher in the pattern as well...

Patriotic china from World War I is pretty rare today...really historic survivals of a time that is long past.....for more info on these items at Time Was Antiques, click on the photos...

I thought I'd share a visit a couple of years ago to our favorite Victoria & Albert Museum in London...affectionately known as The V&A. We visit pretty well every time we are in London. The collections are pretty well everything you could possibly want to see from ancient to modern.

The last visit, we spent a lot of time in the English Arts And Crafts exhibit...it is synonymous with lovely hand crafted  items and parallels the Aesthetic Movement in the US. It's one of my favorite design periods. The 1860s ignited a reaction to the Industrial Revolution's mass produced goods and artists like William Morris, Phillip Webb, Archibald Knox and others pioneered a return to hand crafted items of beauty. William Morris famously said:

 “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful” William Morris, 1834-1896

 

This is an Archibald Know sterling silver with stones and enamel box at the Victoria and Albert.

This is a display of everyday kitchen items but decorated beautifully despite being utilitarian objects. I actually took this photo because we had the ivory crumber on the wall there in the shop at the time I took the photo....

There is a large display of Arts And Crafts china and silver as well. 

And I loved this large Wedgwood jasperware jardinere.  There is always too much to see and not enough time at the V&A!


Thanks for joining me! It will be nice to connect with friends through this blog again.
Cheers!

Queen Victoria Jubilee Medal To Oz, George Jones Bluebird Teacup, The Big Lunch

I had the privilege of shipping off from my shop, Time Was Antiques, yesterday a Queen Victoria 1897 Diamond Jubilee medal to Australia with a special story.

1897 was the Diamond Jubilee was the 60th anniversary of the crowning of Queen Victoria, just as this year is the 60th anniversary, or Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.  The Australian grandfather of the purchaser had been in London in 1897 during the Diamond Jubilee as part of the New South Wales Lancers who took part in the Jubilee Procession. His grandfather regretted not having brought a souvenir medal home, so the grandson has....and plans to be in London during June for the festivities for Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee. How neat is that???

I am joining What's It Wednesday with Ivy and Elephants, Teacup Thursday with Miss Spenser and Vintage Thingie Thursday with Coloradolady.

My teacup today is a lovely George Jones & Sons Crescent China, England bluebird teacup in the pattern Swansea made in the 1920s. I just love the cute little bluebird, and I love George Jones who was also one of the nest makers of majolica pieces. Lovely! To see more info, click on the photos.

And for those of you planning to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee with the Brits they way they always have, there is The Big Lunch project which sees villages, streets and towns setting apart part of June 3, 2012 for block parties, public lunches and pot lucks to celebrate the official big day.

 The Brits have always celebrated occasions this way, communally, whether on village greens, at local pubs, sports fields or local "big houses". This was the way Bucklebury, Catherine Middleton's village, celebrated her wedding to Prince William.

And this is what we can expect to see all over Britain.

So click the link for fun ideas of what to do yourself, or just to see what others are planning.

http://www.thebiglunch.com/