From Europe's first porcelain, 'Meissen', to 'Herend' and 'Royal Copenhagen'...
The story of antique pottery is more beautiful than a painting and more interesting than Western art history.

Antique enthusiasts from all over the world are crazy about it.
The author has thousands of historical vessels
A story of a vast collection spanning 30 years
& The history and brand story of antique dishes

A total of 10 countries, 35 brands, and over 100 designs!
Pictures more beautiful than a pictorial, capturing the elegance of the dishes!
A book that can be used by everyone from beginners to experts in antiques.

“When you look into a teacup that is over 100 or 200 years old, you can picture the stories of that time.
The beautiful patterns and colors of the pottery, which are difficult to imitate even in modern times, have always created a flower garden in my heart.
The antique dishes collected from around the world have now numbered in the thousands.
“Countless vessels each have their own history, one that one cannot help but fall into.” - Kim Ji-yeon, the woman who reads vessels

The types, origin stories, and even patterns of antique pottery from around the world!

Anyone who loves pottery will know that the world's three most prestigious porcelain brands are Germany's Meissen, Hungary's Herend, and Denmark's Royal Copenhagen.
However, it is difficult to know the details of how these brands gained this reputation and what history exists that led to their fame.
『My Antique Bowl Story』 Author Jiyeon Kim, who has collected antique bowls for 30 years and has studied world history, Western art history, and even flower names, introduces everything about antique bowls from around the world, including their types, birth stories, and patterns.
In addition to well-known domestic tableware brands such as Royal Crown Derby, Shelley, and Wedgwood, the book also covers information on antique tableware that cannot be found anywhere else, including unfamiliar luxury tableware discovered through the author's eye, such as Unterweissbach Thuringia in Germany and Bellick in Ireland. In addition, it provides proper know-how related to antique tableware, such as secrets to maintaining antique tableware, how to read backmarks, and types of teacups.

I studied world history and art history through pottery, and learned about painting and flowers.
Above all, I have met many precious people through the medium of vessels.
One of the fruits of that relationship is the book, “My Story of Antique Tableware,” which compiles the story of 30 years of life spent with antique tableware.

--- p.14 From the "Prologue"

From around 1780, Meissen began to move away from the sensual and luxurious Rococo style and began to be influenced by the Neoclassic style that originated in France (also called Neoclassicism, an artistic movement that pursues the elegant and neat form of classical beauty with a longing for ancient Greece and Rome). From this time on, Meissen painters began to produce porcelain in a simple style, painting flowers, butterflies, and fruits on a white background.

--- p.34 From "Meissen, the first European porcelain born from human desire"

The two Titzenrohitter mocha sets I own have different designs, but they both have a vintage vibe.
The Titzenlohitter High Handle Four-legged Moka Cup and Coffee Pot with their raised handles are a statement piece in themselves, but they stand out even more when paired with bling-bling gold shoes.
In particular, the mocha cup has a unique design with a sharp handle that makes it seem like you have to lift your little finger to hold it, so you have to accept some inconvenience when using it.

--- p.54 From “Bavaria, Showcasing a Variety of Colorful Styles”

If I were asked to name just one city as the most important in the history of European ceramics, I would say without hesitation, Dresden.
Dresden is the capital of Saxony, located in eastern Germany. It is called the Florence of Germany because of its beautiful scenery, especially the old town along the Elbe River.
I can't forget the scenery of Dresden that I first encountered when I went on a European ceramics tour about 10 years ago.

--- p.68 From "Dresden, Adding Splendor to Meissen Porcelain"

Villeroy & Boch is the most popular German dishware brand in Korea, so much so that both those who like antique dishes and those who like modern dishes have at least one.
Many porcelain brands are named after places or founders, and Villeroy & Boch is also named after its two founders.

--- p.98 From “Villeroy & Boch, the synonym for rational German tableware”

Lindner's patterns are typical of Lindner, but the shape of the porcelain is so classic that you can tell it's Lindner even without the picture.
The handles of the pot and glass are not of a perfect line, but have been modified more than once, and the lines of the plate are not smooth but unique.

--- p.108 From “Lindner, the representative luxury porcelain of West Germany”

This teacup uses toned-down colors that are not commonly seen in German ceramics.
It's a very bright color that stands out right away, but it doesn't feel light at all.
Additionally, the gold flower pattern adds a three-dimensional feel, making it feel even more gorgeous and grand.
Thick engraving is also a very rare expression in German porcelain.
The overall feel is obviously German pottery, but when you look at each element, it is a very mysterious and mystical item that does not seem like German pottery.

--- p.126 From "Unterweissbach Schaubachkunst, a vessel that is German yet not German"

There is one bowl that stood out in both my mother-in-law's cupboard, who was indifferent to bowls, and my mother-in-law's cupboard, who loved bowls.
Ansley's Orchard Gold, which stands out with its intense primary colors and appetizing fruit patterns.
In the 1970s and 1980s, with the economic growth and the full liberalization of overseas travel, foreign tableware began to gradually flow into the country, and among them, the gorgeous Ansley certainly stood out.

--- p.164 From “Ansley, the British tableware that was mothers’ dream”

Royal warrants are granted to various companies, including porcelain companies, when they have provided services to the British Royal Family or other royal households for more than five years, and entitle them to provide services not only to their own country but also to the royal families of the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark, Sweden, and Japan.
Also, since this warranty is re-examined every five years, in the case of Paragon, even if it is a product of the same pattern, some may have the Royal Warrant phrase and some may not, depending on the year of release.

--- p.196 From “Paragon, Porcelain Guaranteed by the British Royal Family”

Belick, an Irish luxury porcelain with an overwhelming visual appeal, boasts a design and color reminiscent of seashells.
When I first introduced Bellic through the blog “The Woman Who Reads Dishes” in 2014, it was a very unfamiliar brand that was barely known in Korea, but after about 10 years, it has gained a certain level of recognition among dish collectors.
A long time ago, I first saw Bellick porcelain at the Porcelain Museum in England and was shocked by how different it felt from the pottery I had known before.

--- p.226 From "Bellik, the Jewel of Ireland"

Royal Copenhagen is currently one of the most familiar European tableware brands in Korea, recognized for both quality and design, but it did not achieve this reputation from the beginning.
Like other European countries, Denmark was fascinated by the blue and white porcelain exported from China during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and the history of Royal Copenhagen began with imitating it.

--- p.236 From “Royal Copenhagen, the undisputed representative Danish porcelain”

Like Hungary, which had to have a winding history due to its geographical location, Herend also faced several crises over the past 200 years, but each time it grew step by step and built its current reputation.
In fact, regardless of this historical background or story, the reason I first started collecting Herends was simply because they were relatively easy to obtain.

--- p.272 From "Hungarian small town, synonymous with luxury porcelain, Herend"

When talking about Richard Ginori, the most important figure is Italian architect Gio Ponti. He served as artistic director of Richard Ginori's manufacturing division from 1923 to 1933, and spread oriental sensibility and beauty to European tables.
Thanks to Gio Ponti's efforts, Richard Ginori established itself as a luxury vessel with both popularity and artistry.

--- p.308 From “The Pride of Italy, Richard Ginori”

The brand that appeared as the teacup of the male protagonist's mother in the drama "The Heirs," which deals with the high-teen romance of the 0.1% upper class in Korea, is none other than Lomonosov, a representative Russian porcelain.
The cobalt net pattern, which expresses nets and knots using only 22-karat gold and cobalt blue, also appeared in the drama "Sky Castle," which was about the entrance exams to prestigious families, and in Korea, Lomonosov has a strong image of being "exclusive to the upper class" or a "luxury product."
That's understandable, as Lomonosov started out as a porcelain brand owned by the Russian imperial family.

--- p.316 From “Russian Imperial Porcelain, Lomonosov”

In the American ceramics market, where European products held an overwhelming advantage, Lenox steadily expanded its market share by maintaining innovative designs and quality, and by the mid-20th century, it achieved the feat of occupying a quarter of the domestic market.
In the 1960s, the company expanded its scale by acquiring Bryce Brothers, the oldest crystal company in the United States, and continued to prosper, but it was unable to avoid the aftermath of COVID-19.
The closure of Lenox's only U.S. plant in 2020 virtually halted all production.

--- p.330 From "Lennox, the Vessel of the White House"