Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-10-26

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4 new bridge, as you may see.
Three little men,
Three, maybe four.
With willow-branches hanging DER,
Two little doves swinging high,
A little ship passing by :.
IT E. l.. Scnwarzberg, Honolulu's
crack auctioneer, should be heard
muttering along the street, that's what
he's saying. Il doesn'tmean that any
thing is the matter with him, mentally
speaking. 1t means that he Is trying
to fix the description of the famous
wilIow-pattern of china so firmly In
his mind that he'll never let another
piece get by without his knowing at
least that it is passing.
II all happened, he says. when
great stack of china was taken into
the auction rooms the other day for
immediate sale. 1t looked just like
any other stack of china TO him. and
so 1t would to anyone else, because
1t was topped by six plates Of ordin-
ary blue and white china, such as may
be had for sic or $l2 set. His sur
prise, not to mention his consterna-
ton, came when he had knocked the
whole lot down to Mrs. Sarah i.
Grace, who, being woman, immedi-
ateIy discovered and divulged to him
the fact that the common blue china
had hidden 30 pieces of very rare old
plate OF the willow-pattern. A con-
noisseur in china who was present, a.
Honolulu woman whose collection of
rare porcelain is the envy OF all her
friends, at once offered Mrs. Grace
$40 for a single piece of the willow
pattern, an offer which was promptly
turned down.
Now, Mr. Schwarzberg is collecting
information about the willoW-pattern,I
with a view possibly to becoming a
collector OF the china himself. All
though he Is not going to be SO gen..
erous with the plate. after he has 1t
collected, he is quite willing for the
public to know what he has found out
about 1t. Here it is.
The design, which is of Chinese
origin, was introduced into England in
1859 by one Thomas Turner OF Caugh-
ley. II caught the fancy of lovers OF
good china, and became the most pop
uIar Of all the famous blue and white
china. all OF which is made by paint
ing the design on the plate before the
glaze is put on.
Willow branches and the willow
tree are believed by Chinese to ward
off evil spirits. Old Wang Chan, who
planned rebellion against the en-
pereor during the Tang dynasty about
thousand years ago, had his follow
ers wear a willow branch to bring
good luck, which 1t did. as it showed
where their allegiance lay. and kept
them from being killed by Wang
Chan's warriors, who overran the.
land. on the day OF the Festival Of
the Tombs, always celebrated in in.
terror China, willow branches may be
seen sticking in the tiles of AL the
roofs.
The artist who designed the willow
pattern was inspired by a legend
woven around the unhappy love az.
fair of a mandarin's daughter and a
man OF low degree. The maiden's
name was Lichi, and she lived in
great state in the mandarin's house
which one sees on the plate. to the
right OF the picture, and she loved
greatly the mandarin's secretary,
Chang, who lived in the tiny cottage
on the tiny island which one sees at
the top Of the plate. The mandarin
forbade such mesalliance, and the
lovers eloped, and concealed them
selves in the gardeners cottage, which
is seen in the plate surrounded by a
peach tree in full bloom, an orange
tree, and willow tree. Next morning.
having provided themselves with will
low branches. they escaped to the IS
land home OF the lover, where they
were. found by the mandarin, who
chased them with a whip, and would
have killed them had not the gods
interfered and changed the lovers into
two turtle-doyes, which are seen
swinging high" on the plate.
Mr.. Schwarzberg says that now
when he looks at his single piece of
willow-pattern he sees the whole
story, just as the artist saw it so
many, many years ago. He's getting
almost sentimental about it.