Knowing the Art of Blue Pottery

Leha

Knowing the Art of Blue Pottery

The cultural heartland of Jaipur has all of us mesmerised, especially when it comes to its vibrant and colourful artwork. One such art traditionally practised here is blue pottery. With its roots in the Central Asian artistry, blue pottery travelled a long way to the Indian subcontinent to become one of the most cherished art forms of Jaipur today. Let us trace its journey to our homeland.

The vibrant art of Blue Pottery; Image Source- Local Samosa

As the name suggests, blue pottery uses the colour blue extensively. History tells us that the Mongol artisans adopted the Chinese blue-glazing technique to enhance the charm of their eye-catching Persian art. With a flurry of Turkish invaders settling in India, the newly developed artform also found a home in our country. Initially, the art form was restricted to architectural purposes only. It was primarily used to decorate palaces, tombs and mosques.

It was not until the Mughal reign that blue pottery reached its zenith. The blue-glazed Persian motifs made their way to the cutlery and numerous home-decor articles like vases and such. And that's how the artform travelled to Delhi and eventually to Jaipur in the 17th century.

Another popular theory that explains the development of blue pottery goes back to the 19th century. Under the patronage of Raja Sawai Ram Singh II, the craft became a permanent part of the Jaipur tradition.

After the solution dries, the objects are painted with a blue dye obtained from cobalt oxide. Sometimes, shades of yellow, white and brown are also combined with blue. Usually, plant, animal and geometric motifs are painted, given their Persian roots. The last step of the process is glazing to add shine and lustre. Followed by a round of heating/firing, the articles are good to go.

Blue pottery is favoured because it does not crack easily and is quite hygienic. From plates, bowls, spoons to ashtrays, coasters, pitchers, and vases, blue pottery has found its place in decorative and daily use purposes.

Now you know all about this indigenous art form of Jaipur. Many outlets and workshops in Jaipur are open for tourists to explore and participate in the process of making blue pottery. Do not forget to add this enthralling activity to your itinerary on your visit to Jaipur!

An interesting anecdote recorded in history tells us how Raja Sawai Singh brought the craft of blue pottery to his court. The story takes us to Delhi, where the Raja was attending a kite-flying session. His royal kite-flyers were finding it difficult to defeat their rivals. The opponent party, who turned out to be brothers, won every round consistently. The Raja was intrigued by the brothers and enquired about the secret behind their success.

The brothers revealed that they were potters. They coated the string of their kites with glazed blue-green glass used to make blue pottery. The glazed glass camouflaged with the colour of the sky and helped cut strings of other kites efficiently.

Raja Sawai Ram Singh was thoroughly impressed by the brothers and invited them to the court of Jaipur to teach other artisans the craft of blue pottery.

What makes blue pottery unique is its special dough instead of traditional clay. The dough consists of quartz stone powder, gum, powdered glass, borax, Multani mitti (Fuller’s earth) and water. It is then flattened and placed in various moulds to achieve the desired shape. The mould is then sun-dried for 2-3 days.

The next step comes down to baking the objects. Once cool enough, the irregularities are smoothened using sandpaper. The articles are then immersed in a solution of maida, powdered glass and quartz powder to make them sturdy.