Blue and white
Blue and white porcelain is cobalt painted on raw clay, then sealed under a clear glaze.
Tell painted from printed
Look at the blue
Painted blue pools dark where the brush paused and thins where it ran. Decals stay even, and a loupe shows printed dots.
Find the wash
Painters fill shapes with a loaded brush of thinned cobalt, called fenshui. It leaves soft tide lines a transfer rarely matches.
Compare two cups
No two hand-painted pieces match. If every flower lands in the same place on every cup, it is probably printed.
Fire seals the blue under glass.
What to look for
Blue and white
Hand-picked pieces are on the way.
Good to know
What is Chinese blue and white porcelain?
It is white porcelain painted with cobalt before the glaze goes on. Jingdezhen potters perfected it in the Yuan dynasty, using cobalt imported from Persia.
Is blue and white porcelain always Chinese?
No. China perfected it, and Japan, Korea and Vietnam made their own. Delft in the Netherlands copied the look in tin-glazed earthenware, and English potters printed Blue Willow.
Is blue and white porcelain food safe?
New pieces from reputable makers usually are, because the blue sits under the glaze. Treat antiques and unmarked decorative pieces as display only.
