Vintage crockery inheritors share memories of precious family heirlooms

Amidst a global revival of interest in vintage crockery, your grandmother’s teapots may be more valuable than ever before

Adrian D’Cruz and his wife Althea hold their family’s memories in their dinner sets. Photographs do their job, but it is when Althea looks at the heirloom crockery that she remembers her mother-in-law, Jossie D’Cruz, who was “a great giver of parties”. Part of what made the parties special was her pretty porcelain.

Retired senior shipping executive Adrian and Althea have preserved the heirlooms in mint condition, taking them out only on very rare occasions. For instance, the last time they used it was when Adrian’s extended family got together in Fort Kochi, where Adrian lives, 10 years ago.

One is a Kutani (traditional Japanese porcelain) hand-painted set for six in white and silver, about 80 to 100 years old. The other is a white and gold set with bamboo prints. “We inherited this particular set for eight from my father’s family and it is definitely over 70 years old. It only has a Chinese inscription and I don’t know where it is from,” says Adrian.

For inheritors of vintage crockery, it is a tangible slice of family history — something that brings back warm, fuzzy memories of lively dinners or a favourite grandparent who loved his or her tea in the special bone china cup.

There has been a growing interest in vintage tableware, especially in the past year, says Dayna Isom Johnson, Trend Expert at Etsy, which has over 44,000 vintage dinnerware listings to date. “Shoppers have been gravitating towards nostalgic pieces and accents that are reminiscent of decades past. We’re seeing a return to all things retro and this year, shoppers are focussing on self-expression with many turning to vintage items as a sustainable alternative that adds character to their spaces while spotlighting their personal style,” she adds.

For new collectors, Blue Willow china holds special charm. Believed to have been developed in 1779 in England, the design is said to have taken British tea tables by storm. The crockery had motifs of a weeping willow, pagodas, three men on a bridge and a pair of swallows. In blue and white, these were said to be inspired by Chinese crockery. Today, these are popular on various e-commerce sites selling vintage collectibles. A blue willow teapot, creamer, and sugar bowl set of 1910-1920 vintage can cost up to ₹14,374 (on Etsy), while a rare English antique ceramic tea set, made in England by Spode Copeland in the 1890s, with an Imari pattern, is available for ₹1,28,556.

Food consultant, and author of multiple books on Anglo-Indian cuisine, Bridget White Kumar in Bengaluru treasures the Blue Willow crockery that she inherited from her mother. Containing sandwich plates, elongated platters with curly edges and gold piping, soup plates, a teapot and more, the 86-piece dinner set (Royal Doulton’s Will O’the Wisp) was part of her mother’s trousseau, which was divided between Bridget and her siblings when they got married. “I don’t know the exact year of manufacture, but I am sure these pieces would be at least over 100 years,” she says. While some have browned over the years, some are still as good as new, decorating her crockery cupboard.