During the middle of the 19th century, Jaipur became a flourishing center for the making of blue pottery. The craft was practiced by one family who guarded its secrets so closely that the technique was nearly lost. Today only a few rare examples of this 19th century pottery survive. Some of the finest specimens are found in Rambagh Palace in Jaipur. In the 1950's a Jaipur artist named Kripal Singh painstakingly pieced together its lost secrets, leading to a revival of the art form.
Jaipur blue pottery contains no clay. It is turned or moulded from a mixture of quartz, green glass, borax, fuller's earth, and gum. It is then painted with metallic oxides, which turn into bright colors by firing. For example:
- cobalt oxide becomes a deep blue
- chromium oxide becomes green
- cadmium oxide becomes bright yellow
- iron oxide becomes a red-brown
After painting, the piece is dipped into a glaze of glass, borax, and lead oxide and fired. Firing melts the glass, but the quartz remains.
Today, vases, flower pots, plates, bowls, cups, tiles and other objects are produced in many workshops and are sold throughout Jaipur. We were privileged to visit Kripal Singh's studio which is located near our home stay in Jaipur, Kripal Kumbha, Shiv Marg, Bani Park.
