I have come to love these small little willow pattern sauce tureens. To be honest, I don’t have much room for any large willow at this stage unless I start getting rid of some of the earlier pieces I purchased. I think this is kind of how every willow lover’s collections changes and becomes more dynamic. At first it started with the willow you get from Kroger, then added Japanese…then English and English is really where my heart is. So my collection has evolved as I have begun to love more unusual pieces.
Anyhow, on to these small sauce tureens. I think for me, this is the perfect size for gravy, but many call them sauce tureens. They are approximately 5 inches wide and maybe 4 inches tall. As you can see I have three of these beauties. Each one a different color, each one probably a different manufacturer, and each has different handles and finials. Regardless, it is impossible to pick a favorite even from just three examples.
The blue tureen is adorned with a gorgeous lion finial. I love this little piece and it was the first small tureen I ever purchased. The inside only shows the border pattern, but the lion still speaks volumes. It is only marked on the bottom with a number.
I don’t have a great deal of brown willow, but the pieces I do have, I simply adore. This little tureen has a beautiful molded finial and handles. The inside has portions of the willow pattern. It too is marked with a number and no manufacturer.
Up next is my Ridgway Gaudy Willow Sauce Tureen. This piece is stunning, the colors are vibrant and the gold touches set this one off. The inside of the tureen is the most detailed of all three of these pieces.
I love all three examples of a sauce tureen. I can’t help but wonder how on earth people back in the late 1800’s ate so little! I mean, I have gravy boats way larger than these! To be fair, I think maybe I need to start eating out of these smaller willow pieces so I can learn better portion control!!!! I need help!!!
The gallery below shows the shapes and sizes of these three in comparison.
I think I need a red willow sauce tureen, a green willow sauce tureen, and well the list goes on!
Until next time, stay safe, enjoy your willow and watch your portions!
Christine
Blue Willow Treasures - A collectors showcase 
Love the lion finial!
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I do too. I wonder if was hand molded or if they actually used a mold, but it is my favorite.
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Another enjoyable article, Christy. Regarding their use, there were probably four sauce tureens in each complete dinner service, plus gravy / sauceboats ( jugs ) for apple sauce etc. I doubt that people drowned their food in large quantities of gravy the way some do now. Probably some meat juices from the roasting pan. I’ll investigate further!
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It is interesting they would have had many of these little tureens. I wish more had survived. I simply love the three I have. I was wondering about meat juices as well. Thank you as always for your comments and research.
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