A Fresh Botanical Start – A Key to the Armoire

Happy New Year! I don’t think I have ever shared my Duke of Gloucester china, by Mottahedeh, before, but I really adore it. This particular design is very meaningful to me because it comes from the collaboration that Colonial Williamsburg did with Mottahedeh to reproduce antique museum pieces (including other favorites like Chelsea Birds and Imperial Blue), and I’m a big fan of this fantastic living history museum located in Virginia!

For those of you who may not know, the Duke of Gloucester was King George’s younger brother, who commissioned a botanical royal china service from Royal Worcester in 1770. It is from that service that Mottahedeh made its reproduction, as pieces of the the original service can be seen at the Colonial Williamsburg museum, as well as in the Metropolitan Museum in New York.

The service, which was made for Mottahedeh by the luxury Portuguese manufacturer, Vista Alegre, features four different plate designs, all of which showcase fruits, butterflies, flowers, and insects in the center, surrounded by elegant, gold-feathered cartouches. Given its Federal-era style, I paired it with my Pickard China gold-encrusted service plates, and Rosenthal green scroll chargers. Green, therefore, became the thematic color for this table that evokes the freshness of new beginnings…and of a New Year! For the cream soup, I used my Haviland Monceau cups, and for dessert, I used Arte Italica glass goblets.

My collection of Duke of Gloucester pieces actually started with the table lamp, which I adapted, in this case, to work as a centerpiece. And yes, it actually has a working bulb that glowed beautifully at night! A great tip for those of you who may want to use lamps as centerpieces is to tuck the lamp’s cable underneath, by wrapping it around the underbase, and securing it with a carboard disc. Once that is done, it is very easy to fit a battery-operated, LED bulb to have a working, cable-less table lamp. I have linked the type of bulb I used below. Unfortunately, Mottahedeh is no longer making this style of lamp, and I could not find any for you, but here is the new style. I also changed the shade to a black vellum one with gold underside for proportion and color. I felt that the black worked better with the table than the cream silk original, and also, the gold underside amplified the glow and matched the gilded theme. Because I was using it as a centerpiece, the original shade was too wide, so it would make the lamp look too big for the table. The smaller diameter of this one worked better too.

To finish the tablescape, I added two Baldwin brass candlesticks, which I fitted with antique glass compotes decorated with Michael Aram’s gold pear and pomegranate, as well as some magnolia leaves I cut from a neighborhood tree, fresh cranberries, and other natural elements that mimic the plates’ theme. Instead of bread plates, I used the same compotes in low, sterling silver bases. I thought this added an original touch that was very much in line with the volumes and styles of the Federal period. By the way, the Federal period is known outside of the United States as the Regency period. To continue with the gold details in the china, I used my gold Godinger Chateau flatware set.

For the stemware and glassware, I mixed green footed, needle-etched tumblers for the water, and Libbey-Rock Sharpe goblets in the Frontenac pattern. A French, antique sterling silver, etched carafe was used to serve the wine at the table. I was very happy that I was able to find the exact, same decanter on Ebay, which I linked for you below!

I topped my trusty toasted gold, linen tablecloth with a hand-embroidered, Madeira tablecloth that repeated the botanical elements of the service. The final touch was to add butterflies to the table; a whimsical touch that I thought to be allegorical of the birth of the New Year after so many struggles with the pandemic.

As for the menu, I kept it simple. We started with a Roasted Cauliflower Velouté, followed by an Eggplant Gratin with Grated Apples. Our main course was a Braised Boneless Turkey with Bacon Rice and a Prune Port Sauce. Back by popular demand (and I truly mean the “demand” part!) was my Vanilla Panna Cotta, which I decorated with mixed berries and chopped pistachios. All in all, a relaxing night at home in the hopes that 2022 brings back the normalcy of yesteryear!