The colour palette is restricted to blue derived from the cobalt oxide, green from the copper oxide and white, though other non-conventional colours, such as yellow and brown are sometimes included. The range of items is primarily decorative, such as ashtrays, vases, coasters, small bowls and boxes for trinkets. Thus it has great utilitarian as well as aesthetic significance.īeing fired at very low temperature makes them fragile. Blue pottery is beautifully decorated with the brush when the pot is rotated. The biggest advantage is that blue pottery does not develop any cracks, and blue pottery is also impervious, hygienic, and suitable for daily use. Another source cites Katira Gond powder (a gum), and saaji (soda bicarbonate) as ingredients. No clay is used: the 'dough' for the pottery is prepared by mixing quartz stone powder, powdered glass, Multani Mitti ( Fuller's Earth), borax, gum and water.
Jaipur blue pottery, made out of ceramic frit material similar to Egyptian faience, is glazed and low-fired.
Thus, the semi-transparent pottery has a gentle mix of Mughal arabesque patterns with bird and other animal motifs forbidden in Persian art of Islamic origin. Some of this pottery is semi-transparent and mostly decorated with Mughal arabesque patterns and bird and other animal motifs. Inspired more from nature, the pottery is adorned with profusely animals, birds and flowers with a hint of Persian geometric design in the compositions. Jaipur blue pottery has strong influences of the Persian ceramic style but it has developed its own designs and motifs.
It is one of many Eurasian types of blue and white pottery, and related in the shapes and decoration to Islamic pottery and, more distantly, Chinese pottery. The name 'blue pottery' comes from the eye-catching cobalt blue dye used to color the pottery. Blue Pottery is widely recognized as a traditional craft of Jaipur of Central Asian origin.