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| Utility Bowl |
| Size 9 inches |
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| About
Blue Pottery: |
Blue
pottery though Turko - Persian in origin, is widely recognized as a traditional
craft of Jaipur. Legend has it that blue pottery came to Jaipur in the
early 19th century when one of its rulers, Sawai Ram Singh II (1835-1880)
set up a school of Art and encouraged artists and craftsmen from all over
the country to come and settle here - a tradition started by his fore-fathers.
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Jaipur
blue pottery contains no clay. It is turned or moulded from a mixture
of quartz, green glass, borax, fuller's earth, and gum. It is then painted
with metallic oxides, which turn into bright colors by firing.
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For
example:
cobalt oxide becomes a deep blue
chromium oxide becomes green
cadmium oxide becomes bright yellow
iron oxide becomes a red-brown
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After
painting, the piece is dipped into a glaze of glass, borax, and lead oxide
and fired. Firing melts the glass, but the quartz remains. The process
is very tedious and time consuming. Once made, the blue pottery item cannot
be reworked. It is a craft where one is never sure it the finished product
will have the exact shade that one may have wanted. The smallest mistake
could lead to the piece either cracking up or turning black.
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Today,
vases, flower pots, plates, bowls, cups, tiles and other objects are produced
in many workshops which are ideal for gifts and souveniers |
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