Saturday, February 14, 2009

Blue Pottery of Rajasthan

Blue pottery of Rajasthan is a work of art. It has a long history, grew under the patronage of Maharaja Ram Singhji and was first introduced in Rajasthan. Basically originated in Jaipur and recognised as traditional craft, has expanded to different places of Rajasthan. It is believed that this traditional art form came to Jaipur in the early 19th century when 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 a tradition started by his forefathers.
Blue pottery is based on ground quartz the dough is pressed into moulds and the unfired pieces are hand painted with oxide colors, dipped in clear glaze and fired once in wooden kilns. Blue pottery cannot be reworked once it attains a final shape. The ingredients are quartz, green glass, fuller’s earth, borax and gum. This is kneaded into dough, flattened and pressed into an open mould. The other materials are cobalt oxide and a squirrel-tail brush.

Although the art owes its existence in Persia but it has become a lifeline of many in Rajasthan. There is been growing demand of blue pottery in the industry.

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