Researching Weekend Finds

As I arrived at the gallery 20 minutes early on Saturday, I noticed that an nearby antique shop was going out of business. I had time to pop in and came away with two little things. The first was this Chinoiserie bowl in a simple version of the famed 18 th century Tobacco leaf pattern.

I believe mine to be a 20th century knock off without a few of the finer details.

My bowl clearly lacks the phoenix as well as other details. This got me wondering about the history of the pattern. It was hard to find much beyond pieces for sale at astonishing prices ( I lust after this pattern) but I did find this tidbit on Mountvernon.org
This extravagant design was originally made in China, probably for export to the Portuguese and Brazilian markets.  Of all the 18th century dinnerware patterns, this was the most highly prized.
George and Martha Washington owned pieces of this pattern and there are examples of Tobacco Leaf china in the Mount Vernon collection.
A small phoenix bird perches on the leaves of the flowering Nocotiana  (Tobacco) plant.  Twenty-seven colors with 22k gold characterize this pattern, based on an original which is displayed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
My new bowl is a pretty, if less detailed, little keeper that I got for a song. The second thing I found was a silverplate butter dish from Forbes silver co.
 FORBES SILVER CO - Meriden CT
organized in 1894 as a department of Meriden Britannia Co. One of the original companies which formed International Silver Co It is missing its knife but I have plenty of those. Oddly, it had its glass insert. The thing that made me buy it was the "S" monogram on its lid. I actually think I will use it for something other than butter.
On my way home I found a small piece of furniture in need of a makeover that I will show you in the coming weeks.