Love is never lost. If not reciprocated it will flow back and soften and purify the heart. Washington Irving 

{HISTORY}

Inspired by a flower, a French military advisor, and a creative color process, this British serving set holds all sorts of history in its elegant design. 

One of the most popular styles of dishware made in England in the 1800s and exported to the United States during the Victorian era was the flow blue design. These dishes, with their highly decorative but slightly blurry patterns, were a deliberate choice made by potteries who added lime or ammonia during the glazing process to create a bleeding or "flowing" of color that would come to be highly prized amongst collectors. 

WH Grindley & Co. made this flow blue pattern called Marechal Neil in the 1890s. Featuring a blue and white floral with gold details and embossed edging, this pattern was named after the Marechal Niel (note the slight spelling change) tea rose which in turn was named after Adolphe Niel, one of Napoleon's most trusted military advisors. 

The botanical tea rose itself boasts a sunny shade of yellow and was discovered in France sometime around the 1850s. Adolphe passed away  a decade later in Paris in 1869 from complications following bladder stone surgery. But fast forward twenty years and both rose and man were immortalized again, this time in a ceramic pattern by W.H. Grindley in Staffordshire, England with their Marechal Neil dish pattern.

Featuring swags and stretches of climbing roses, W.H. Grindley made this pattern in two versions. One is a more cobalt-colored strictly blue and white pattern, and the other is this one - a pale blue floral with embossed designs and gold swirls and flourishes. 

Nowadays a hard to find serving set consisting of three matching pieces, this trio is made up of two covered vegetable dishes and a 14" inch platter. All three pieces are in gorgeous antique condition, but there is one long-running crack on the lid of one of the vegetable servers that makes it perfectly imperfect. Typically we do not bring pieces with such a significant crack to the shop, but it is so hard to find a matching trio in this pattern in one complimentary grouping that it would have been a shame to set aside a still completely useful dish solely because of one flaw. 

Balanced in shape and size, we particularly love these pieces best for display in a collection on a mantel, in a display cupboard or sitting pretty on a side table.  Despite the crack on one of the lids, all pieces are still functional, so if you are looking for a pretty serving set for your table settings, these three definitely fit the bill in the fun and functional department. 

Antique newspaper advertisement featuring the Marechal Neil pattern courtesy of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, Sept. 2nd, 1896

{SPECIAL FEATURES} 

- Marechal Neil pattern 

- Matching set of three servers (5 pieces total) 

- Each dish is stamped on the bottom with maker's mark, pattern name and various manufacturing numbers

{CONDITION}

In lovely antique condition, these dishes are clean and bright with no chips, cracks, spots, or stains except for one crack on the lid of one of the vegetable dishes and one small 1/4" inch chip on the underside rim of the other lid. Please see note above. The hairline crack measures 7" inches in length and is very thin, very light, and almost unnoticeable. Please see detailed photos.The gold detailing is wearing slightly in some spots on the vegetable dishes but is still completely intact on the platter. All pieces contain smooth and shiny glaze. Please see all photos.

{SIZE}

The platter measures 14.5" inches (length) x 10.5" inches (width) and weighs 2.4 lbs. The vegetable dishes each measure 11.75" inches (length) x 7.5" inches (width) x 5.25" inches (height base to top of lid handle) and weigh 2.3 lbs.

Combined weight for this whole set is 6.12 lbs