The secondary claim dates to 1780 and gives credit to Thomas Turner of the Caughley Factory, a pottery site with origins in the year 1772. Turner was known for his dedication to producing high-quality porcelain products ranging from buttons to sorbet cups. Various online images seem to suggest a valid conclusion that Minton was inspired by Turner’s concept of transferring patterns of Chinese scenery onto decorative and utilitarian houseware items (particularly kitchenware).
The famous Blue Willow pattern is cobalt blue (which was less followed by pink, green, and brown variations of the same pattern). It is a detailed scene that illustrates an old poem by an unknown Chinese poet:
Two birds flying high,
A Chinese vessel, sailing by.
A bridge with three men, sometimes four,
A willow tree, hanging o’er.
A Chinese temple, there it stands,
Built upon the river sands.
An apple tree, with apples on,
A crooked fence to end my song.
It was Minton’s most popular Chinese pattern, which he applied through a process of transferring (stenciling or stamping) that resulted in what is known as transfer ware. In Blue Willow transferware, the background is always white with the application of a singular color, which has varied from one manufacturer to another but remains true in its original blue pigment (which is usually cobalt oxide).
The materials that generally form the porcelain known as china are bone ash; feldspar (a group of rock-forming materials that compose approximately 60% of the earth’s crust); and kaolin, which is the binding clay material. The bones are crushed, gelatin is removed, and the result is calcinated to over 1,250 degrees. The ash and feldspar (or Cornish stone) are finely milled, and the mixture is fused, heated and cooled. Finally finished with a touch of artistry and glaze, the end product is the china that has been the foundation of European-based kitchenware for centuries.
Beyond the controversy of origin, and beyond the Blue Willow pattern itself and the processes that bring it to life, there is the pattern’s legend, which also proffers conflicting information. Some people give credit to Minton for developing a story that described his illustration in order to promote his craft. Others look over a thousand years back to a time when the Chinese people passed the legend to Europe by way of the Crusaders. It is likely, then, that Minton received the inspiration for his own storytelling from a lesser-known English source, but little is certain pertaining to the history that serves to enhance the intrigue behind beautiful Blue Willow china.