Collection: Blue Pottery

Blue Pottery is widely recognized as a traditional craft, though it is Turko-Persian in origin. The name 'blue pottery' comes from the eye-catching cobalt blue dye used to color the pottery. Blue pottery made out of a similar frit material to Egyptian faience, is glazed and low-fired. The 'dough' for the pottery is prepared by mixing quartz stone powder, powdered glass, Multani Mitti (Fuller's Earth), borax, gum, and water. Being fired at very low temperatures makes them fragile. The color palette is restricted to blue derived from cobalt oxide, green from copper oxide, and white, though other non-conventional colors, such as yellow and brown are sometimes included. The use of blue glaze on pottery is an imported technique, first developed by Mongol artisans who combined Chinese glazing technology with Persian decorative arts. This technique traveled east to India with early Turkic conquests in the 14th century. Later, following their conquests and arrival in India, the Mughals began using them in India.