Shakespeare and Royal Doulton China

Hello everyone.  Today I'm linking to Tablescape Thursdays hosted by Susan at Between Naps On The Porch.  Hope you all had a nice Valentine's Day.  For my post this week, I'm using the pictures from a tablescape I did last year for Valentine's Day.  The pictures were taken with our first digital camera, but they still turned out pretty good.  So...what do Shakespeare, a play about star-crossed lovers and Royal Doulton china have in common?  Just one word -- Juliet.  "Juliet" is the name of the Royal Doulton pattern that I chose for our wedding china over 24 years ago.

Lately, I've seen a lot of china, in person and in pictures, and I've often thought that every dish, cup, bowl, serving piece, handle and lid are like small works of art.  And I know that there are plenty of patterns that are older, more valuable and collectible, and some would say prettier; but after all this time, I still love my Juliet pattern.  I love the delicate cream color of the china, the gold trim, the beautiful pink and yellow cabbage roses and the smaller, dainty flowers surrounding them.  And beneath the cabbage roses, what appears to be a "Juliet Cap", like the character wore in the movie.  While the pattern is mostly floral, there is a soft blue band around the border that I think gives it a certain elegance and symmetry.

When I was arranging these dishes last year, it made me think about Romeo and Juliet, for the first time in many years.  I believe I first studied the play when I was a sophomore in high school.  At that age, reading a 400 year-old play written in old, or Elizabethan English (and difficult to understand), just wasn't very interesting.  But then our English teacher showed us the movie directed by Franco Zeffirelli, and it just brought the whole story to life.  Zeffirelli did a beautiful and tasteful version of the movie, and he did something that hadn't really been done before -- he used a teenage actor and actress to play the parts of Romeo and Juliet, just as Shakespeare created them in his play.  As I got older, I found a new appreciation of Shakespeare's work, and though I only watched the Romeo and Juliet movie maybe one more time many years ago, I still found it very moving (and very entertaining).  After writing this post, I've decided to put the DVD on my gift list for Christmas.

If you haven't seen this movie and you get the chance, it's worth seeing.  It was filmed on location in Italy, with lush scenery and gorgeous period costumes.  The beautiful Olivia Hussey played the part of Juliet; at just 15 years old, she was the youngest woman ever to play this role professionally.  She simply was, and always will be, THE Juliet for my generation.  And Leonard Whiting was a very handsome Romeo; don't mean to exclude him, but my dishes are called "Juliet" (sorry Romeo).  So on Valentine's Day, I guess I couldn't resist a reference to one of the most famous love stories of all time.

About the tablescape:  I bought the roses at our local Fresh Market and arranged them in a cut glass crystal vase that I received several years ago as a Christmas gift.  I'm definitely not an expert at flower arranging (after we took the pictures I noticed the one rose on the right that wanted to stick out).

 I tried to get a shade of pink roses that would closely match my pink damask napkins and the china.

Folding the napkins in the heart shape was not really difficult; I can post a tutorial if anyone is interested.

  

 The small oval sweet meat dish holding pink, white and red candy hearts was given to me as a gift by my sister many years ago.

According to the website for Replacements, Ltd., these bowls are difficult to find at the moment and they are actively looking for them.  Who knew??  Thanks Sis!!  The conversation hearts in the glass candy dish add a whimsical touch, and we're never too old for conversation hearts, right?

The lighting is not quite as good in these pictures as last week because we had a different camera last year when I did this tablescape.  Also, I had the not-so-pretty glass globes on our chandelier.  I have since changed those for ivory silk shades, which look much better and give off a better light.  So here are the pictures -- hope you enjoy them!   Mr. Forest Manor's leg ended up in the first one.  Whoops!

I couldn't resist this heart wreath.

Now for our favorite part -- the candlelight shots.

"O she doth teach the torches to burn bright!"  What a beautiful phrase echoing down the centuries -- probably my favorite line in the entire play.

Thanks again, Susan, for hosting Tablescape Thursday!  I look forward to seeing everyone's tables, and thank you all for your kind comments last week!  Have a great weekend! 

Denise

"O she doth teach the torches to burn bright!", Romeo and Juliet: ACT 1, Scene 5

China - Royal Doulton "Juliet"

Crystal stemware - Gorham "French Cathedral"

Flatware - Oneida "Tennyson"

Candle Tapers - Colonial candles

Place Mats - Bed, Bath and Beyond

Pink Napkins - Bed, Bath and Beyond

Candlesticks - Gifted to me many years ago

Crystal vase - Christmas gift several years ago

Salt and Pepper Shakers - Wedding gift

Pink Heart Wreath - Michael's last year

Yellow Bird Votive Holders - Michael's last year

Glass lidded candy dish - Won in a raffle