Wednesday, July 29, 2020

Oriental Foo Dog Tablescape

Over sixty years ago, our Mother was gifted a pair of Oriental Foo Dogs - after her passing, I inherited them (or as the family lovingly says, I got stuck with them....) I asked Pat to use them on a tablescape recently, and here is what she came up with:
Dinnerware is a mixture of "Imari Fan" by Arita and "Meadow" Fiesta(ware)





Pat used light "Bamboo" flatware by Cambridge



Once again, Pat used two chargers - a "Meadow" Fiesta(ware) Chop plate for color and a gold leaf lacquer charger to hold it



The light amber goblets are from Pier 1 - one of my very last purchases before the store closed


Foo Dogs are actually lions  - some people say they resemble ChowChow and/or Shih Tzu dogs - hence the name "dog"

The original Foo Dogs were very large and meant to be outdoors - displayed as guardians for the home

Meant to be in pairs, one dog is female (she represent "yin" and symbolically protects people living in the home) and the other Foo Dog is male (he represents "Yang" and protects the structure itself.)


There is a right way and a wrong way to position the pair of Foo Dogs - They should always be together with the female on the left to ensure harmony.


From the other end of the table
Where it came from:
Bamboo Place Mats - from Pier 1 in Washington eighteen years ago
Gold Leaf Chargers - from Costco years ago
Green Charger - "Meadow" Fiesta(ware) Chop Plate by Homer Laughlin from Replacements.com
Dinnerware - "Imari Fan" by Arita from eBay
Bread and Butter Plate - "Meadow" Fiesta(ware) Appetizer Plate by Homer Laughlin from Replacements.com
Flatware - "Bamboo" by Cambridge from Amazon five or six years ago
Amber Glassware - from Pier 1 this year
Napkin - from Linentablecloth.com (a really neat site for inexpensive linen and wedding supplies)
Bamboo Napkin Ring - from Pier 1 two years ago
Candle Holders - from the Cancer Society Discovery Thrift Shop three years ago

This week, we will be joining "Tablescape Thursday" at Between Naps on the Porch:  http://betweennapsontheporch.net/ 
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5 comments:

  1. Louca por porcelanaJuly 30, 2020 at 7:15 AM

    WOW! What an exquisite table!Wonderful Imari dishes!!!

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  2. Ranger SmithJuly 30, 2020 at 11:02 AM

    This is beautiful and unique. I’ve been looking for a set of bamboo flatware and am wondering if you’re happy with your. How are they holding up? Have you run them through the dishwasher or do you hand wash? Would appreciate your opinion. Thank you

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  3. Rosie M.July 31, 2020 at 7:36 AM

    This is such a creative table! Love your placemats, plates, flatware (and napkin rings!), and intriguing centerpiece (along with the history---I never knew those statues were actually dragons!). The final effect is absolutely lovely, Ladies!
    P.S. I notice that you use Blogger for your blog. I have used it, too, for all my years of blogging, but it has suddenly stopped letting me create a blog. Do you have any advice? My email is rosieemoreno@verizon.net, and I'd appreciate any advice you could give me. I haven't been able to participate in TT for quite a while. Thanks
    Rosie @ The Magic Hutch

    ReplyDelete
  4. Gail PJuly 31, 2020 at 8:34 PM

    Love the Imari with the Meadow! It matches perfectly!

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  5. Joy BAugust 6, 2020 at 9:37 AM

    Well, I learned some things about Foo Dogs from reading this blog post! And the table certainly showcases them well. The solid green and peach tones coordinate beautifully both with the statues and with the lovely china.

    ReplyDelete