Collecting is not one-stop-shop. When I'm out and about at junk shops or flea markets, rarely do I find complete sets of anything. They're usually what I call onsies, single pieces that are part of a set, but to find the others takes some investigation and patience. That's why I was pretty amazed recently when I came across an early Wedgwood English tea set in purple lusterware that was nearly complete. Even the cream jug still has its original lid!
Lusterware has a nice sheen to it that's achieved by applying a metallic solution to the porcelain surface
before the final firing. There are four principal classes: silver or platinum, copper or brown, gold, and pink or purple. This cream jug falls into the latter, the pink and purple bands a beautiful foil to its white porcelain body. Of course, you can always use such a piece for serving cream, but it would also be perfect for pouring caramel sauce over a dessert or filled with flowers and placed by the bed. Lusterware was produced by several manufacturers as early as the fifteenth century, though I think English Wedgwood is by far the prettiest.
This table, set for tea or for coffee, pairs a rich purple tablecloth with an Irish pulled linen topper. In an antique cast iron urn with fluted edges, I did a simple arrangement of burgundy mums. I love using lusterware with pressed glass and silver; it's always so much more interesting to mix materials than to match. That way, until you complete a set, your onsies never look alone!
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