Blue Pottery :

This is an ancient craft and is one of the oldest in Rajasthan and many schools of pottery are scattered in different parts of the state. Blue pottery of Jaipur is the most exquisite and best known. It owes its origin to Persia. It was introduced in Jaipur in the mid 19th century during the reign of Raja Ram Singh and today, the descendants of the very first potters still practice the craft. It is unique because it is the only pottery in the world that does not use clay. The pottery has distinct appearances. A small community of potters in Alwar of eastern Rajasthan keep alive the craft of kagzi (paper thin) pottery. While molded pottery from Phokran, from the thick of the desert, is famous for its exquisite finish in geometric designs. Bikaner makes decorative pottery, which is embellished with gold to give glitter in its look.

Making Blue Pottery :

The materials used are Multani clay or fuller's earth, quartz, raw glaze, and sodium sulfate. Once the piece is made, partly in molds and partly on the wheels, the artist draws the designs with a soft brush on the surface using a copper sulfate pigment for turquoise blue and a cobalt oxide pigment for deep blue. The piece is then fired carefully in the kiln. Some of the pottery is semi translucent and, in addition to blue and green, other combinations have now been evolved, such as canary yellow, dark blue and brown. The best pieces are hand painted with conventional floral or arabesque patterns and sometimes with figures of animals. Besides traditional articles like surahis, pots and cylindrical jars, other items include ash trays, tiles, flower pots, lamp stands, beads, ear rings, soap dishes, jugs, mugs and door knobs.