Making Polish Pottery
It was around the 7th century, that the town of Boleslawiec, Poland began making the high quality pottery that has come to define it. In the 17th century, a large deposit of vitrified clay was discovered in the basins of the Bóbr and Kwisa rivers. This caused a build up in production that brought the manufacturers in Boleslawiec to rival some of the biggest pottery producers in Europe. Many of the techniques used to make this beautiful pottery, have been passed down through generations to the Artisans of today.
One of the things that makes Boleslawiec stoneware stand out is the special clay from which it is made. Kaolin is a fine-grain white clay that is almost exclusively found in the Boleslawiec region. In a long, and painstaking process, the clay is collected, air dried, and then thoroughly checked for flaws. It is then pre-burned in an oven to create the clean white bisque on which the intricate patterns will be applied by hand. The bisque often acts as a background color and is used creatively as both negative and positive space in many different patterns.
Hand cut sponge stamps in various shapes and sizes, and paint brushes, are used to decorate the pottery. Artists layer thousands of stamps and paint marks by hand on any given piece. The patience, and consistency involved in the application of these intricate patterns is awe inspiring. Individual painters often sign the bottoms of pieces in the more artistic patterns. Polish Pottery is generally known, and instantly recognizable, for the use of traditional dark blue patterns on the white bisque, but today a wide variety of vibrantly colored patterns are available.
After the paint has dried, a special glaze is applied, and large pallets full of pottery are placed into giant ovens, and baked at 1,230 degrees Celsius (2,246 degrees Fahrenheit). When the product has cooled, it is ready for use.