Jaipur Blue Pottery
Blue Pottery is one of the most distinguished products built in Rajasthan. The products built in blue pottery are available in several colours such as yellow, pink and green. Tourists must not at all neglect the shopping of beautiful blue pottery. Blue Pottery is exclusive in look.
How Blue Pottery is Created
Persian Art of blue pottery approached to Jaipur from Persia and Afghanistan by way of Mughal Courts. Blue Pottery is created from quartz and not from clay. Materials which are utilized comprise raw glaze, quartz, sodium sulphate, and multani mitti (fuller's earth). The biggest benefit of blue pottery is that it will never develop any cracks, and blue pottery is also impermeable, hygienic, and appropriate for daily use. Blue pottery is superbly decorated with brush when the pot is rotated.
How Blue Pottery Came Into Existence
The usage of blue glaze on pottery built from Multani mitti, (or Fuller’s earth is method,) initially introduced by Mongol artisans who joined Chinese glazing technology with Persian decorative arts. This method moved south to India with early Muslim rulers in 14th century. During its early years, it was utilized to make tiles to beautify mosques, palaces in Central Asia and tombs. Afterwards, the Mughals started using them in India to imitate their formations from beyond mountains in Samarkand.
Slowly the blue glaze method grew ahead of the architectural decoration to Kashmiri potters. From there, method moved to plains of Delhi and in 17th century came to Jaipur. Rulers of Jaipur were biased to blue-glazed ware, and several marble halls in Rambagh Palace contain fountains lined with blue tiles. Such tiles were also utilized in building of city of Jaipur, but they got vanished later on. The stunning blue dye on various decorative items attracts each and every single tourist. Now Jaipur has become a central point for blue pottery work and several artisans who are trained for these works only are earning their livelihood by this artwork.
Blue Pottery Items
The general designs are inspired from Mughal era arabesque patterns, bird designs and animals. The various items are made like soap dishes, plates, flower vases, surahis i.e. small pitcher, coasters, trays, fruit bowls, glazed tiles with hand painted flowery designs and door knobs. Jaipur blue pottery prepared from Egyptian paste is low-fired. Few of this pottery are translucent and mainly tinted with animal and bird patterns. Being fired at low temperature creates them delicate. The range of items is mainly attractive, like vases, ashtrays, coasters, boxes for trinkets and small bowls. The colour palette is limited to blue derived from cobalt oxide, green from copper oxide and white, although other non-conventional colours, like yellow and brown are at times incorporated.
Over the years blue pottery has not turned out to be popular among tourists, but also it has giant export market. Few of the supreme pottery work and made only for purpose of export, which assists in developing Indian economy growth.
