Polish Pottery
Beautiful
Unique
Craftsmanship
So, I felt the urge to seek out a new trinket and decided a new coffee mug would do the trick.
What I started looking for was a mug that spoke sweet nothings to me, it had to be colorful and I needed it to bring me happiness in my soul.
So, after searching the internet, thinking a Talavera Pottery mug was the direction to go, I soon decided I wasn't finding THE ONE that spoke to me, either. So, I gave Etsy a try.
I enter in the search what I was looking for and looked at several coffee mugs. I found some really nice ones, however, nothing made me spring for my credit card and press send.
Then, it happened! I found something very interesting.
I asked myself, what is this new lovely before my very eyes?
Why, Vanessa, this is Polish Pottery!
And JUST what is this Polish Pottery ?
The art of Polish pottery dates to the 14th century when a layer of ceramic clay was discovered in the vicinity of Bolesławiec. Early pottery featured white patterns with a brown glaze, and quickly became a desired commodity in Europe and royal courts.
By the 19th century, the popularity led to an incorporation of vibrant stamped designs in a wider variety of colors. A school was founded for potters and artists, and now there are many factories spanning through Bolesławiec that export their products across the globe.
Today, you can find many examples at museums worldwide.
Polish pottery is brilliantly decorated pottery crafted with many different types of patterns and motifs, including landscapes and portraits. Pieces can be easily identified by its distinctive glazing technique. The surface of the piece will be covered with an opaque white glaze, which is then covered with an additional transparent glaze that gives it an iridescent sheen.
What identifies Polishes Pottery?
There are several manufacturers of Polish Pottery and each of those have different stamps, quality, and levels of craftsmanship that identify their production pieces.
Zaklady:
Zaklady Ceramiczne "Bolesawiec"
Established in 1946, Zaklady Ceramiczne "Boleslawiec" is the largest and oldest manufacturer of Polish Pottery. Known as "Zaklady," this manufacturer produces rich looking and feeling pottery that is beautifully decorated, consistently high in quality, and durable. Zaklady products include dinnerware, baking dishes, serving dishes, kitchen accessories, and household items such as vases, flower pots, and stoneware crocks. Based on the intricacy of the stamped design, Zaklady patterns range from traditional to unikat. Annual production totals approximately two million pieces of pottery.
Ceramika Artystyczna
Established in 1950, Ceramika Artystyczna is renowned for producing stoneware that is of the highest quality and most exquisite decoration. This manufacturer is a co-op of artists, about 70% of whom are woman. Ceramika Artystyczna produces tableware, bakeware, kitchen items, and household accessories such as soap dispensers and vases. Both the classical and the unikat designs are highly artistic, with vibrant colors, subtle shading, and intricate details.
Cer-Maz
Previously known as KM, is a small family run pottery business under the direction of a young but very skilled potter Krzysztof Mazurek. Both of his parents and his brother are actively involved in running the family business. His mother is the lead pattern designer. She has over 20 years of experience as a lead artist at another pottery factory called Manufaktura. Cer-Maz is also well known for the high quality of their bisque. Their bisque is used by other pottery makers in the area. Cer-Maz is located in Warta Bolesławiecka, which is right outside of Bolesławiec and right next to other pottery shops like WR, Andy and Andar.
Ceramika Artystyczna "Wiza"
Known simply as Wiza, the factory was founded in 1963 by Mr. Stanislaw Wiza. This company is unrelated to the Polish Pottery cooperative known as Ceramika Artystyczna. The Wiza factory has grown from humble beginnings under communist rule into its current status as a leading exporter of Polish Pottery, with approximately 120 employees. Wiza stoneware is high quality and durable, with a variety of decorative patterns and forms.
WR Unikat
Opened in 1977 by Wladyslaw Rutyna, WR Unikat is a small factory that specializes in hand-painted patterns. Today, WR Unikat has about 70 employees. WR Unikat is unique among Polish Pottery manufacturers in that they do not use the traditional hand stamped techniques to decorate their pottery, but instead paint each piece with brushes in beautiful floral patterns. All pottery from WR Unikat is described as "Unikat" because each pattern is produced exclusively by a single artist.
For a great website to learn more I found The Pottery Wheel. She is amazing and I learned a lot. She impressed me as an expert on knowing what the heck Polish Pottery is all about and the different types, markings, and the most sought after pieces.
Also, to get an excellent idea of what Polish Pottery looks like click the link and it will take you to just that place. Ceramika Artystyczna