Blue & White Qing Hua Porcelain

Qing Hua, literally translated to "blue flowers," is a style of porcelain decoration that has been founded and developed with the help of Persian trade in the 14th century, and the influence of Islamic culture. During this time, the use of stunning blue of cobalt-oxide became increasingly popular, and eventually became widely exported to Europe between the 17th and 18th centuries.

Strong Islamic decorative influences are evident in Qing Hua porcelains. Some works even display Arabic calligraphy as a result of several Muslim advisors in the Chinese court between 1506-1521 A.D. Islamic cultures in turn also borrowed stylistic choices for their own blue and white porcelains, incorporating motifs such as dragons, cranes, lotus flowers, and various fruits.

To create blue and white Qing Hua porcelain, the porcelain object is first fired without any decoration. After this first firing, the porcelain is hard and ready to be painted on. Cobalt-oxide is then mixed with water and applied by brush to the white surface. Clear glaze is then applied, and the porcelain is once again fired to yield the final product. The base of the porcelain is generally not glazed and will usually appear orange due to oxidization. This method of creating blue and white Qing Hua porcelain is still used to this day.

Quick Facts

• The soft white clay, kaolin, is responsible for the translucent white of these stunning porcelains
• Between 1328 and 1429 A.D., blue and white Qing Hua porcelains became scarce due to a ban on foreign imports. As foreigners influenced Qing Hua vases, this practice became restricted as well
• Europeans tried their hands at duplicating the Chinese Qing Hua technique, beginning in the 16th century