{1940s - 1950s Royal Albert Princess Anne Tennis Set for Coffee or Tea}

When I was doing consulting work with my husband and partner Pieter, we were in Calgary, Canada with one of the staff members shopping at an antique store. That's where I bought my very first 1940s - 1950s Royal Albert Princess Anne piece of china. It was a handled cake plate. Over time I kept adding and I especially loved these Tennis Sets for Coffee or Tea. Did you know about them? This is something from the UK, but I love their practical approach for being able to hold this with one hand in an informal setting.



On January 18, we had our white hyacinth blooming. Got it at Trader Joe's and wish they would last forever as I LOVE their fragrance.

So here is our Royal Albert Princess Anne teapot and one each of a Tennis Set for Coffee and one for Tea.
To me it does not look quite fair as the Tennis Set for Tea is far bigger...



Don't you agree that the Tennis Set for Coffee is smaller in size?

WHY would hat be...

To photograph these two sets together proved to be very hard!

Here it is out of perspective a bit because the Tennis Set for Tea is in the front and looking way bigger.

This is the best I could do for showing both of them at more or less eye level.

You notice that the tea cup is wider and more shallow and tapered down. The coffee cup is more narrow and mostly straight up.
To the right on the sidebar you see my most popular post is: {Difference Between Coffee & Tea Cups} just click the hyperlink for finding out.
But still those Tennis Set differences puzzle me...!

When I tried to find out more, I found this interesting site from Royal Albert Patterns.com with this lovely photo. Shown is a coffee cup and saucer to the right; teacup and saucer to the left; cream & sugar set - which I have several of, also differently sized. My handled cake plate that I found in Calgary, Canada is shown here and a coffee pot which I don't have one.
To the bottom are different teacups.
They mention only the Cup Shape being Countess (for Tea) or Avon (for Coffee).
You just scroll all the way down on this site, from above hyperlink, or if you search for any other pattern you might find it there as well.
There even is a Royal Albert Patterns FB Page, just click the hyperlink.

This is the regular Coffee Cup & Saucer with a regular Tea Cup & Saucer...

We Heart It did have my photo tagged by 46 people. That shows maybe that more people are searching to find out more about those differences.

Would you know an answer for those Tennis Set differences?

A very frequently visited post...

{Anna Burda Crocheted Table Topper}

From the Anna Burda's June 1988 magazine this hand crocheted table topper must have been made by my friend Marianne's  Mom, in Germany. Whatever its background, I received it as a gift and I'm very pleased with this linen and crocheted treasure. Have a look...

In our veranda on the oak coffee table with some blooming hyacinths on January 18...

No doubt that Marianne's Mom did crochet it after this Anna Burda pattern from June 1988!

Just lovely...

Pure linen is being crocheted around in a very perfect way with an impeccable steady hand it seems.

Guess Marianne's Mom will be smiling down from heaven when she sees it still is being loved!

{French Pewter Taste Vin}

Do you know a Taste Vin? Ancient Greeks used already its forerunner for wine tasting as a glazed clay krater or wine cup. In medieval times they got made of faience, ceramic and pewter. In Louisiana, USA they briefly served another function as taste-indigo for testing the crystallization of indigo dye.

Shown here is our French Pewter Taste Vin with a a Royal Selangor pewter vase.

Royal Selangor is established in 1885 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

 Our lovely daughter Anita inside metal frame...

This French Pewter Taste Vin from ETAINS DU MANOIR was a gift from our French colleagues.

Inside you read the French Wine Quote: Beuvez toujours ne mourrez jamais...

Beuvez toujours, vous ne mourrez jamais. Loosely: Drink always and never die. Also: Drink constantly; never die. Widely attributed to François Rabelais.

Meanwhile I am the lucky owner of the hardcover book: The Epicurean Collector: Exploring the World of Culinary Antiques by Patrick Dunne from Luculluss Antiques in New Orleans, who did write this book together with the Editors of Southern Accents. The photo below is on page 109. Available at Amazon.

Patrick Dunne does explain a lot better than I ever can but he is writing about some pure silver Taste Vins...

These are Patrick Dunne's silver Taste Vins...

There is one thing in common with our French Pewter Taste Vin however; the coiled serpent loop handle is similar to ours! You can read more about that in the last copy of Patrick Dunne's pages.

His book is a very valuable piece of information for serious collectors.

Sadly the beautiful magazine of Southern Accents is no more but this book is as close as you can come to that!

Above is the mention of the use for taste-indigo in Louisiana.

One of the enigmatic motifs that frequently appear on taste-vins is a loop handle formed by a coiled serpent...

Hope you enjoyed this Taste Vin post. Do you have one at your home?