Blue and white pottery

Blue and white pottery is a beautiful style of pottery and porcelain that uses a blue pigment, usually made from cobalt oxide, to create designs on a white background. This blue decoration can be applied by hand, with a brush, or using stencils and printing methods. The blue pigment is special because it can survive very high temperatures needed to make porcelain, which is why blue and white pottery has remained popular for so long.

The origins of blue glazes may have started in Iraq, where craftsmen tried to copy white Chinese stoneware by adding blue designs to their own pottery. These early examples from the 9th century AD are thought to be the first blue-and-white wares. This style later spread to Europe and China through traders and influenced pottery in many places.

In China, blue and white pottery became very common in the 14th century after cobalt pigment started being imported from Persia. It was widely traded and inspired similar styles in Islamic ceramics, Japan, and later in Europe. Today, blue and white pottery is still made around the world, often copying older, 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. They even used patterns from Persian silver work a long time ago in the eighth century.

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. These Tang pieces are not true porcelain but earthenware with a white coating. Only three complete Tang pieces were found in 1998 from a shipwreck in Indonesia and sold to Singapore. For some years, the use of this blue color seemed to stop.

In the early 14th century, making blue and white porcelain became big business at Jingdezhen, often called China’s porcelain capital. 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. The blue designs were also inspired by Islamic art. Many of these pieces were sold in Southwest Asia by traders based in Guangzhou.

Chinese blue and white porcelain was made in one firing. The dried porcelain was painted with cobalt-blue mixed with water, then coated with a clear glaze and fired at high heat. Later, local cobalt was found, but Persian cobalt stayed the most expensive. 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 started in the 14th century, replacing older types of white pottery. The best work came from Jingdezhen in Jiangxi Province. This new style was liked by the rulers of China at the time.

Blue and white pottery also appeared in Japan, where it was called sometsuke. It was influenced by China but later developed its own styles.

15th century

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

During this time, artists tried mixing blue with other colors, though this was tricky and often did not turn out as planned.

16th century

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

By the end of the century, China began exporting blue and white pottery to Europe, creating a style known as Kraak ware. This became very popular in Europe and was often copied there.

17th century

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

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

18th century

Export of blue and white pottery to Europe continued into the 18th century. However, details of how to make it were shared with Europe, so Chinese exports decreased.

High-quality blue and white pottery continued to be 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 very popular in the Middle East starting in the 14th century. Designs like flying cranes, dragons, and lotus flowers from China appeared in 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 widely copied in the Ottoman Empire.

Japan

The Japanese admired 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 for export to Europe. Special kilns like those making Nabeshima ware used blue in their designs, while others like Hasami ware and Tobe ware used blue and white colors.

Korea

Koreans started making blue and white porcelain in the early 15th century, influenced by Chinese styles. They also made blue and white stoneware later on. This production happened during the Joseon dynasty, from 1392 to 1897. Korean vases had wide shoulders that allowed for detailed paintings, with dragons and flowering branches being common subjects.

Europe

Early influences

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

Direct Chinese imitations

By the beginning of the 17th century, Chinese blue and white porcelain was being exported 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, 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.