Underglaze Blue Printing

Blue printed ware made in North Staffordshire is renowned the world over. First developed in the 1770s, it was produced in large quantities throughout the 19th century. Taking advantage of new white earthenware and china bodies, Staffordshire potters developed a technique of decorating their products with underglaze printing which appealed to every taste and pocket.

Cobalt Blue

The predominant colour of blue in Staffordshire printed ware comes from a naturally occurring mineral, cobalt, which was imported from Saxony. First exploited by Eastern potters more than 600 years ago, it was the colour most sought after when potters in the west started to imitate Chinese export ware. In England it was commonly applied by hand painting to tin-glazed ware and later on English porcelains.

Underglaze

Colours in use at the end of the 18th century tended to disappear or flow in high temperature firings. Early black, red and brown transfer prints were applied to glazed wares (which had already had two firings) and fired again. Cobalt, however, could be applied to biscuit ware and 'hardened on' in a muffle oven. This was then dipped in glaze and developed a strong blue during the glost firing. This was more economical and durable in use and became a widely used form of decoration.

Printing

Printing had long been known as the method of applying inked engravings onto flat surfaces. Transfer printing was invented to enable an inked engraving to be applied to the surfaces of ceramic wares. The engraved image is first printed on to thin paper and the paper is then applied to the ware. The paper is washed off leaving only the oily image on the ware.

The technique of transfer printing arrived in the Potteries at the end of the 18th century. The first local manufacturers to market underglaze blue printed wares are thought to have been Adams, Wood and Spode.

The early blue printed wares show a coarseness of line engraving but by 1800 the techniques of engravers had improved. Different tones were achieved by stipple punching and the strength of colour was determined by the depth of engraving and the accuracy of line or dot. Development from the early designs of the Chinese led to more varied and exotic schemes and then to commemorative wares.

By the middle of the 19th century, some manufacturers had their own engraving and printing departments, independent engravers also supplied designs. As many designs were pirated and copper plates often changed hands it is frequently impossible to attribute designs accurately to individual manufacturers.

Blue and white pottery bibliography

Copeland, R. Spode's Willow Pattern and Other Designs After the Chinese, Studio Vista, 1980.

Coysh, A W. Blue and White Transfer Ware 1780-1840, David and Charles, 1970.

Coysh, A W. Blue Printed Earthenware 1800-1850, David and Charles, 1972.

Coysh, A W and Henrywood, R K. Dictionary of Blue and White Printed Pottery 1780-1880, Antique Collectors Club, 1982.

Coysh A W and Stefano J R. Collecting Ceramic Landscapes, British and American Landscapes on Printed Pottery, Lund Humphries, 1981.

Drakard, D and Holloway, P. Spode Printed Ware, Longmans, 1983.

Godden, G A. Caughley and Worcester Porcelain 1775-1800, Herbert Jenkins, 1969.

Godden, G A. An Introduction to English Blue and White Porcelains, Godden , 1969.

Little, W L. Staffordshire Blue, Underglaze Blue Transfer Printed Earthenware, Batsford, 1969.

Turner, W. Transfer Printing on Enamels, Pottery and Porcelain, Chapman and Hall, 1907.

Watney, B. English Blue and White Porcelain of the Eighteenth Century, Faber and Faber, 1973.

Whiter, L. Spode, A History of the Family, Factory and Wares from 1733-1833, Barrie and Jenkins, 1970.

Williams, S B. Antique Blue and White Spode, Batsford, 3rd edition, 1949.

Places to visit to see Blue Ware

Spode Museum
Church Street
Stoke
Stoke-on-Trent

The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery (Formerly The City Museum)
Bethesda Street
Hanley
Stoke-on-Trent