Beauty in extraordinary times

Now more than ever do we need beauty in our lives! These are extraordinary times and what makes it more unprecedented is that the whole world is united in this crisis, making it feel both more severe and more bearable; we are in this together.

What gets me out of bed each morning is the little things that are beautiful: the spring revealing itself in my garden, kindness shown by strangers, the humour and reassurance of my husband, and all my many instagram followers and customers who send messages of cheer and kindness. I've been listening to lots of YouTube videos of the balcony singers in Italy 🎼😁

I have had this set of 23 Coalport plates for a while and now I felt we can really do with the gorgeous beauty of these flowers! I don't know who painted this service, but it could well have been Cecil Jones, one of Coalport's famous flower painters - I had a service by him a while ago. Each flower is unique and painted with the greatest care. The flowers aren't just realistic - they have character. Some of them are generous, some serious, or cheeky, or reserved. Each time my eye wanders to a next plate I am excited by what meets my eye.

What distinguishes British porcelain of the early 19th Century from French and German porcelain is the way painters had the freedom to paint in the way they liked; although the styles were perhaps similar, there were no strong conventions on how each style or pattern should be executed. The porcelain artists therefore were able to make the most of their particular talents and, importantly, the way they looked at things. Some will point to the imperfections in British porcelain (yes, some of these plates are crazed), but I think the artistic freedom makes up for that.

You can find the set here in my shop, and you can see all my dinner and dessert services here. And if you always want to see the latest additions, follow me on Instagram... I post pictures and a story every single day 🌺🍃🌸

Enjoy your weekend - self-isolated or not!