Blue and white pottery

Blue and white pottery is a pretty style of porcelain. It uses a blue pigment, usually made from cobalt oxide, to create designs on a white background. The blue design can be added by hand, with a brush, or using stencils. The blue stays even when the pottery is fired at very high temperatures, which is why this style has been popular for a long time.

The blue glaze may have first started in Iraq. Craftsmen there tried to copy white Chinese stoneware by adding blue designs. These early pieces from the 9th century AD are thought to be the first blue-and-white pottery. This style later spread to Europe and China through traders.

In China, blue and white pottery became common in the 14th century after cobalt pigment was imported from Persia. It was traded widely and inspired similar styles in Islamic ceramics, Japan, and Europe. Today, blue and white pottery is still made around the world, often using old, traditional designs.

Origin and development

Cobalt blue glaze became popular in Islamic pottery during the Abbasid Caliphate. Blue-and-white pottery was first made in the 9th century in Iraq. Chinese potters later used blue-and-white styles to copy Islamic designs.

Cobalt as a color came to China from Iraq. It was first used in the Tang dynasty on earthenware and later on porcelain. Pieces from the late Tang dynasty were found in Henan Province.

In the early 14th century, making blue and white porcelain became big business at Jingdezhen. This happened because of Chinese skills and trade with Islamic countries. Cobalt from Persia made the blue color, and Chinese porcelain was very white because of kaolin.

Jingdezhen kept making blue and white porcelain, reaching its best quality during the time of the Kangxi Emperor of the Qing dynasty.

Evolution of Chinese blue and white ware

14th century

Further information: Jingdezhen ware

Blue and white pottery began in the 14th century. It replaced older white pottery. The best work came from Jingdezhen in Jiangxi Province. Leaders in China liked this new style.

Blue and white pottery also appeared in Japan, called sometsuke. It was inspired by China but later created its own styles.

15th century

When the Ming dynasty began in 1368, blue and white pottery was not popular with leaders for a time. But it became important again in the 15th century.

Artists tried mixing blue with other colors, but this was hard and did not always work well.

16th century

Some blue and white pottery from the 16th century showed influences from Islam, with writing from Persian and Arabic on some pieces.

By the end of the century, China began sending blue and white pottery to Europe. This created a style called Kraak ware. It became very popular in Europe and was often copied there.

17th century

In the 17th century, much blue and white pottery was made to send to Europe. The style called Transitional porcelain used many scenes from stories and nature.

Wars in China and changes in government led to fewer exports, so Japan began making blue and white pottery for Europe. Dutch traders also made similar styles in Europe, called Delftware.

18th century

Sending blue and white pottery to Europe continued into the 18th century. But details about how to make it were shared with Europe, so Chinese exports became smaller.

High-quality blue and white pottery kept being made for the Chinese court and wealthy people.

Outside China

Islamic pottery

Further information: Chinese influences on Islamic pottery and İznik pottery

Chinese blue and white pottery became popular in the Middle East in the 14th century. Designs such as flying cranes, dragons, and lotus flowers from China appeared on pottery made in places like Syria and Egypt. Chinese porcelain from the 14th and 15th centuries reached the Middle-East and the Near East, especially the Ottoman Empire, through gifts or war booty. The "grape" design from the Ming period was very popular and was copied often in the Ottoman Empire.

Japan

The Japanese liked Chinese blue and white pottery and began making their own versions around 1600, calling them sometsuke. These were often made from Japanese porcelain and included types like Arita ware and Hirado ware. Many of these pieces were made to sell to Europe. Some special kilns, like those making Nabeshima ware, used blue in their designs, while others like Hasami ware and Tobe ware used both blue and white colors.

Korea

Koreans began making blue and white porcelain in the early 15th century, inspired by Chinese styles. They also made blue and white stoneware later. This happened during the Joseon dynasty, which lasted from 1392 to 1897. Korean vases had wide shoulders, allowing for detailed paintings. Dragons and flowering branches were common subjects.

Europe

Early influences

From the 16th century, people in Europe started copying Chinese blue-and-white pottery using a method called alla porcelana. Early tries to make porcelain in Europe, like Medici porcelain, mixed styles from both Islamic and Chinese designs.

Direct Chinese imitations

By the start of the 17th century, Chinese blue and white porcelain was being sent directly to Europe. It was highly valued and sometimes had fine silver and gold added to it. The first European porcelain factory opened in Meissen, Germany, in 1707. Early European porcelain was strongly influenced by Chinese designs. Factories in places like Worcester, Chelsea porcelain, and Bow porcelain in London, and Lowestoft porcelain in East Anglia used many blue and white designs. By the 1770s, Wedgwood introduced new styles using cobalt oxide.

Patterns

The willow pattern, a famous design made using transfer printing, was created in England and became very popular. Though it told a sad story, the style was influenced by Chinese designs. Chinese potters later copied this pattern but used hand painting instead of transfer printing.

Because of trade with the Netherlands, faience production began in Gdańsk, Poland, in the 17th century. Other towns like Elbląg, Tolkmicko, Frombork, and Malbork also started making faience in the 18th century. In 1770, King Stanisław August Poniatowski founded the Royal Farfur Factory in Belweder, Warsaw, using local clay. By 1778, they were making 45,000 items each year.

Vietnam

Vietnamese blue-and-white pottery began when Chinese potters moved to Vietnam. The Chinese occupation of Vietnam from 1407 to 1427 greatly influenced local pottery. Vietnamese potters used cobalt underglaze,ises, which was popular in Muslim markets. During this time, Vietnamese pottery became very successful in markets across Asia and even reached places like the Middle East and Eastern Africa (Tanzania).

India

Blue pottery of Jaipur in Rajasthan is made from special materials like quartz and glass instead of clay. It uses cobalt blue and other colors to create floral and geometric designs. This style came to Jaipur from West and Central Asia, possibly through Delhi. By the 1950s, the craft nearly disappeared but was revived and is still made today in many decorative and useful forms.