The History of Blue and White Pottery
...and Mesopotamia
I feel like lots of my newsletters are going to mention Mesopotamia, because everything cool started in Mesopotamia. I mean… math (arguably cool), the first city, writing, the wheel, bricks, maps, WINE! The freaking concept of time was even thought up here (source). I’ve already typed out Mesopotamia more times than a normal adult-who-works-in-finance should.
See my post on linen from a couple weeks ago.
For the purpose of today’s history intro, the mass production of ceramics started in this ancient region located in the eastern Mediterranean. It was here too where blue glaze, most often made from cobalt oxide, was first used. It’s thought to have been invented out of desire to imitate the prized, dark blue color of the lapis stone.
The blue and white pottery, particularly porcelain, we know today across the globe with its blue designs and white backgrounds under glaze, has archeological evidence dating back to the seventh century Tang dynasty, to a time shortly after the opening of the sea route from Iraq (Mesopotamia, hi) to China.
It was a handful of centuries later, during the Yuan dynasty from 1279–1368, when the art form reached technological maturity. Then, in the Ming era (1368-1644), blue and white pottery reach peak popularity and, most significantly, became a cultural export (source). Eras following continued to create and export this art. As the appeal of blue and white porcelain spread globally, pottery styles across Asia and Europe began to imitate.
The distinctive look of these porcelains became so popular in Europe that it sparked a phenomenon known as "Chinamania" in 19th-century Britain, particularly admired by artists and intellectuals associated with the Aesthetic Movement.
Want to know why Americans call that one hutch in the dining room the china cabinet? It’s the influence of the Ming, Qing, Yuan dynasties on our vernacular. China or ‘fine china’ is favored in the US as another way to say porcelain, as it was first seen in imports from China during the 17th century. The term "china" comes from its country of origin, and the word "porcelain" comes from the Latin word "porcella," meaning seashell. It implies a product which is smooth, white, and lustrous.
This stuff is indeed fine. One of the most expensive porcelain ever sold was a Ming era ewer (teapot, jug looking thing) sold for over 13 million in 2023 (source).
The most renowned ‘knock-off’ was (and still is) the Blue Willow pattern created in England in 1779 by Thomas Turner. Despite its English origins, the pattern features motifs inspired by Chinese landscapes— willow trees, pagodas, period boats— that captured the imagination of the time with its forbid love fable it told on its wares. A new technique, called transferware, where inked tissue was pressed onto the pottery, also made Turner’s designs more affordable than the hand painted originals (source).
When I look at blue and white pottery in the form or jars, plates, bowls and other vessels, the first thing I think about are the glossy pages of Southern Living magazine in addition to various aunts’ and cousins’ homes. But why?
If my feelings needed evidence, I present to you Southern Living tiktok. The fact that they called blue and white neutral colors… their love is real.
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Just the sheer centuries of admiration various cultures have had for these daily-use pieces of art is enough for me to jump on the bandwagon. I’ll likely not be a collector of these wares, nor ever call them a neutral pallet, but incorporating the pattern into a couple table lamps or a garden stool here and there is definitely my plan. It’s near impossible to go through this life without paying homage in some form or a dozen to our Mesopotamian ancestors, am I right?
xx Lauren