Thursday, March 19, 2009

White Bird in a Golden Cage…

…or should I say, a white porcelain bird in a kitchen cabinet. “Birds” go in and out of fashion for home décor themes, but Mr.Peacock has always had a weakness for a nice porcelain bird. Here are some of my favorite bird porcelain pieces.

I found this stylized trio of partridges at one of my favorite vintage shops in San Francisco. They were made by Dansk, in the 60’s or 70’s. I use the “mother” partridge to hold garlic, while the “chickshold condiments, like candied fennel seeds.There's a White Dansk Bird Vase on eBay right now, click here. I'm not sure if I like it stylized as a vase.

I bought this bird-topped terrine at lunchtime, when I worked at US Magazine. The offices were near Rockefeller Center, so I would always take a quick break during deadlines and saunter over to get a bite to eat, and sometimes spend money on stuff I didn’t really need. I found this terrine at a place called Tuscan Square (I don’t think it’s around anymore?), that had a rustic dining room upstairs, and a deli downstairs, along with a small shop of Italian housewares and apparel. I’ve used it to serve side dishes, but it’s not really large enough to cook a whole bird.

This inexpensive teapot is bit “swirly and girly,” but I like the shape of the handle. I first spotted this bird topped teapot at Anthopologie, and then spotted one on eBay. It was a bargain, because I didn’t have to pay postage, because by coincidence, the seller lived on the corner of my street. There's one on eBay right now, click here.

Unfortunately, I don’t own this wonderful large Italian White Bird Tureen & Stand—but I would like too! It would take center stage on my Thanksgiving table, filled with a yummy squash soup. You can buy a large or small tureen here.

These birds were my mother’s. They’re mostly from England and Japan. I like the detail of each piece. So many of the new bird figurines at the chain stores don’t have very much detail—as though they were made with a worn out mold. The piece on the far left and right are vases. I like to drop a tealight candle in them and use them as candleholders.

Whether birds are in or out of fashion, Mr. Peacock will always have a soft spot for a nice bird. What about you?

4 comments:

ALL THE BEST said...

The tureen is fabulous!!

Scott Fazzini said...

Fan-flippin-tastic!!!! I've got some great birdy things....need to share them with you.

Mr. Peacock said...

I love that tureen too....

Yes, share your birdy stuff Scott.

Catherine Peart said...

Oh, I just picked up the far right vase in your bottom photo at a thrift store. I love it and was looking to find out more info about it when I ran across your blog. Cute bird stuff!