Case #1: The Pride of Huguenot Royale

 

Opening Statements:
This is it. The chip that launched my fixation and this blog.

 
I should name it. Hmm, I think Scrat – like the character from Ice Age – is appropriate for this blemish.  Don’t you agree?
 
And now (drum roll please), without further ado, I present:

The Rose Trellis!

  
Yes, I do have the audacity to name the design after Carl Faberge’s masterpiece. I mean look at it! Just look at it!
 
The curly embossed motif, the matching handle, the soft mink roses crested with dainty white flowers decorating the body of the cream crockery; what’s not to obsess over?

 
The Timeline:
So we’ll begin by familiarising ourselves with the basic elements of this crockery pattern: the shape of the cups; saucers; side plates; teapot; milk jug; sugar bowl; platter; handles and rosebud lids, and the curly embossed motif. I’ve seen these signature characters on plain white Huguenot Royale tea sets and hypothesized these tea sets must be the very first of this crockery pattern from the Huguenot Royale production line.
 
Next, Huguenot Royale added floral prints and started toying with the colour of the crockery. Cream and oatmeal crockery were now also produced. This development was followed by rimming of the crockery and then finally no rimming but adding a line under the curly embossing. In this last phase, they made changes to the shape of this crockery pattern, making it sleeker. I’ve seen a tea set with a pink lily print to support this theory.
 
It’s important to note that throughout the years, Huguenot Royale continued producing tea sets with this plain crockery pattern.
 
Are my assumptions right? I don’t know! But are they probable? I think so!
 
Let’s move on and investigate the evidence.
 
The Evidence:
Exhibit 1: The Tea Cup

 
This cup has the rose motif and a green rim. I’ve seen several variations of this basic tea cup; in different colours and different flower prints, with and without rimming.
 
Exhibit 2: The Saucer

 
Next up, is the saucer. Admittedly, this is the disappointment of the set as its flower print is vague but at least it has the green rim. I’ve seen this vague flower print as the main flower print on a Huguenot Royale gold rimmed coffee jug, tea set and dinner set on the internet.
 
Exhibit 3: The Side Plate

 
The side plate also has the vague flower print and a green rim but at the centre is a bouquet of flowers. Nice!
 
Exhibit 4: The Teapot

 

 
The vague flower print, bouquet and green rim are repeated on the jug of the teapot but its lid is adorned with roses and the rim is bare. This teapot popped up this year on Pinterest but the flower at the bottom left of the bouquet was yellow.
 
Exhibit 5: The Milk Jug

 

 
The milk jug has the rose motif, the vague flower print and a green rim.
 
Exhibit 6: The Sugar Bowl

 

 
The bowl of the sugar bowl has the rose motif, the vague flower print and a green rim. Apart from the size difference and notch for the spoon, the lid of the sugar bowl could be mistaken for the lid of the teapot.
 
Exhibit 7: The Platter

 

The pièce de résistance of the set is without a doubt the platter. It features the rose motif, green rim and the bouquet. A little fun fact about this platter; I met its identical twin once, in a training centre in Prospecton of all places! And no they didn’t have any other pieces – just the platter. I asked.
 
Closing Statements:
My mum said my dad bought The Rose Trellis in the late 80’s from a store in the Durban CBD. So I’ve concluded this pattern was widely sold in Durban circa late 1980’s.
 
The Verdict:
Case solved!

Update (10/10/2018):
I just spotted the teapot, milk jug, sugar bowl and cake plate of this set on bidorbuy.co.za! No cups and the auctions closed 03/10/2018! The universe is conspiring against me! Pics available via my Pinterest.

Update (02/04/2020):
Well apparently this set was more extensive than I thought. There were tureens, bowls and plates. Although the set on sale is very similar to the one I own, the flower pattern in the centre of the bowl is mirrored and the lower flower is coloured yellow instead of green. So I think this set belongs to this doppelganger teapot. Pics available via my Pinterest.

You are welcome to post titbits of information and share photos of Huguenot Royale crockery (effectively granting the use of your photos on this blog).

 

If you're looking for or selling Huguenot Royale crockery, you are welcome to send me your advert links to post on this blog as long as you grant me permission to publish your photos (credited to you) on this site (with a little blog about your set) and/or any other blog (in case I have to move blog sites on short notice). You will retain ownership of your photos and you are welcome to rescind your permission at any time but you must send me notice in writing/email.


If, by some miracle, I actually scrape together enough information to publish a catalogue of Huguenot Royale (hopefully with some information on the company itself!), I will seek your permission again to use your photos in that publication.

Special thanks to Greenlava @ http://www.bloggersentral.com/ for the Pinterest button!