The special china of the colonial elite in North America.
Have you seen the interesting blue porcelain with Chinese houses, boat scenes, butterflies and bugs? This style of porcelain, that can still be found in abundance in antique stores today, was the special china of the colonial elite in North America. During colonial times, cargo ships set sail for the New World carrying finished products such as furniture, fabric, ceramics, paper and munitions. On the return voyage, the same ships were loaded with raw agricultural materials such as cotton, indigo, sugar and rice. Porcelain shipped to the colonies was often packed in crates full of straw and the color of the wares was usually cobalt blue. While multi-colored plates in shades of yellow, pink, rust and gold were reserved for the wealthier European nobility, the simple monochromatic blue porcelain was considered the height of elegance in the New World, as delicate white porcelain was rare in any environment.
This porcelain was actually shipped from China, via England, and was named Blue Canton. Under license of Historic Charleston Foundation, Mottahedeh has lovingly reproduced this style as the Chinese first made it, only now it is made in Portugal. It has been in our line for more than forty years.
What are its characteristics?
First, look at the back of the plate. The body (or clay) is white with a gray-blue cast. This is the color of the clay mined in China at the original time period Blue Canton was exported. The unusual color is caused by high iron content in the clay. Blue Canton produced by Mottahedeh today is made with gray body and this gives the porcelain an antique appearance.
It is a gray-blue melty-looking design.
Now turn the plate over and look at the decoration. It is a gray-blue melty-looking design. It is both soft and vibrant at the same time. This effect can only be produced by using naturally occurring cobalt. Cobalt is an element that is mined out of the ground and was first discovered in what was once Persia. It creates a special blue. The first cobalt was used by the Chinese before 1200 AD and is a characteristic feature of many old porcelains because it is one of the first colors ceramicists used successfully. The look that defines cobalt is a deep gray blue.
Cobalt can only be fired at temperatures higher than those normally used to fire other colors. It also has a mercurial quality, meaning that its blue look changes at different temperatures in the kiln. Depending on the range at which the porcelain plate is fired, cobalt blue will look crisp and dark (lower temperatures), brilliant with a violet tone (at medium high temperatures), or pale and gray (at very high temperatures). There is considerable variation in ancient pieces due to the challenges of maintaining a consistent firing temperature in a non-industrialized society. This variation can be expected, to a lesser extent, in present day pieces because modern technology allows us to use more consistent and controllable heat with the use of computerized kiln thermostat controls.
Beautiful jewelry is made with all color ranges of flawless gems.
The best range of blue to look for is the mid-range cobalt. This is what we strive to produce, but many colors are equally appealing, depending on one’s taste. This is also true with taste in jewelry using precious stones. Consider the sapphire. Most people like the very deep blue, but many enjoy the lighter versions of pale or sky blue. Beautiful jewelry is made with all color ranges of flawless gems.
If you like Mottahedeh’s cobalt blue, you will want it to look melted and medium fired.
Blue Canton is a genre rather than a pattern.
Since Blue Canton was produced (as a style) for over hundreds of years by many, many individual hand-painters, all aspects such as the treatment, the scenes, the quality of the linework, and the composition of the painting will vary. Some pieces will look frilly and abundantly decorated with butterflies, flowers and bugs. Some will look almost austere, with geometric patterns predominating. So we don’t worry very much that there is great variation in the elements of the decoration from item to item. It all goes well together and looks wonderful. Its style is as varied as its original producers. Blue Canton looks great with other high fire blue and white patterns, also. So be bold and creative and mix it all up. Mix all your high fire porcelain together. There are 150 Mottahedeh Blue Canton items to choose from, including home fragrances and soap dishes.
We have been voted “Best of the Best” in blue and white by several home décor magazines.
We have been voted “Best of the Best” in blue and white by several home décor magazines in the past and it is because of the capable use of cobalt on hard porcelain. As Mrs. Mottahedeh used to quote an old Chinese saying, “The height of good taste is the appreciation of Blue and White.”
