(based on a book Antiikkiposliini Suomessa by T. Tarna, 2012)
Cobalt blue
In the 900th century blue appeared as an ornament in Persian faience, where the cobalt was found. They transported it to China, where the workshops produced blue porcelain for Mid Eastern markets in 1300's. In 1602 the Netherlands took the European market as their own when the East Indian Company was founded. Only royals could afford porcelain. Kristiina, the queen of Sweden, had 300 cobalt blue porcelain objects. The blue and white ware was a ruling style in Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
For those who don't know, Finland was under Sweden rule from 12th century until 1809.
Chinoiserie
In order to show is porcelain collection Ludwig XIV ordered a Trinanon de porcelaine for the gardens of Versailles, which was an example for the chinoiserie fashion. Sweden had their own East Indian Compnany as well in 1731-1813 and they shipped 132 cargos of Chinese objects to Göteborg harbor. First the objects were merely for decorative purposes but around 1700 they shipped metal prototypes and drawings since so they could show what kind of tableware was used in European kitchen. Because of the Swedish East Indian Company now also the upper class could afford porcelain such as tea and coffee sets. Famille rose ware became famous in 1730's in the Rococo era.
Cousins Sweden's king Kustaa III and Russian empress Katariina II did politics with porcelain gifts in 1777. Chinoiserie was still in fashion: pavilions and tearooms were built in castles all over Europe.
Famille rose
Chinese name for Famille rose ware is 'yangcai' for foreign colours or 'fencai' for pale colours. Famille rose is decorated in European style in pink. The gold chloride which was used in the pink enamels was found by German Andreas Cassius in 1670 in Leyden. (Qing Porcelain – famille verte, famille rose, M. Beurderley,
G. Raindre, 1987, s. 90-91)
First porcelain
In 600's the Chinese added first kaolin into their clay body and fired it higher. In Japan, thousand years later, in early 1600 because of Korean masters. Europeans started to order Japanese illustrations (imari) on Chinese porcelain ware in 1730.
In Europe the ceramic manufactures, and even emperors, tried to buy the recipe for porcelain from the Chinese but they needed to make research on their own. Germany succeeded first. The manufacture in Meissen was founded 1710 and they were ready for production in four years. The china painters had 16 colours, and after imitating Japanese Kakiemon -flowers the Viennese master painter Johann Gregorius Höroldt started to paint German flowers in 1730.
Although, Germany was first to achieve porcelain, the French were first to find chromium and to add it in chinapaints, stains, underglazes and glazes. The Germans didn't until 1814. The French found porcelain in 1740.
La maladie de porcelaine
Ludwig XV gave Sèvres porcelain as political gifts, and so, he gave Kustaa III a turquoise bird set in 1771. Empress of Russia Katariina II made an order from Sèvres and it was the most expensive tableware set in 1778 of which 600 pieces were ready before the French Revolution. After the revolution Napoleon ordered the factory to make empire objects. In Finland the porcelain sets became usual in mansions and among the bourgeois in the late 1800th century. In 1975 and 1980 queen of Denmark Margareeta and the government followed the tradition of giving gifts and gave president of Finland Urho Kekkonen Flora Danica -service as a birthday present.
Cocoa and coffee sets
Cocoa was first of the indulge-stimulants to arrive in Europe from South America. The cup for that warm drink, which even doctors recommended for trembles, had two handles and a trembleuse. Coffee came second, from Ethiopia via the Islamic world in the 1500's. In royal courts coffee became a thing after the Turkish ambassador brought it to the French court. Ludwig XV started his morning with coffee and soon after it was enjoyed during the day. Porcelain sets were made for one (déjeuner solitaire) or for two (tête-a-tête). Both Vicennes and Sèvres had those coffee sets in their collection. In the 1830's Sèvres brought a three storey cake plate to the markets when coffee drinking became more social. In Finland the high class drunk coffee from the early 1700's. The coffee sets used in Finland were brought by the Swedish East Indian Company, the sets being the major import. The European handles for the cups were attached in the mid 1700's. In Sweden, coffee tea and cocoa was banned in 1756.
Tureen
In his book, Tarna describes a couple of movements within porcelain manufacture with a soup tureen. The tureen was the center of the table setting and was brought to the tables after Ludwig XIV court's dining fashion, service á la francaise. The rococo tureens had vegetable and game decorative details and they described what kinds of stews they were serving. The tureens were ordered from China and the East Indian Companies brought them to Europe. In the 18th century the Northern style of kustavilaisuus (after European neoclassicism) brought more simplified decorations.
Porcelain and decal transfers in England
The manufacture of porcelain in England begun in three factories in the mid 18th century. Whereas the factories in France and Germany were under the royal rule, the English factories were established by businessmen. Soon, the hand painted decorations were yielded because of ceramic transfers. Also the forms were changing for the decals, as simpler and less curvy. Josiah Spode invented bone china for production in 1793. The English methods were used in the Swedish Gustafsberg porcelain factory.
High tea
The East Indian Companies in Netherlands, in Sweden, and in England brought tea from Canton, China. During Autonomy in Finland, after Russian example, all classes started to drink tea. The tea sets were made in Russia.
A remarkable industry man at his time, Peter Johan Bladh, an politician and a economist, got into a board of Swedish East Indian Company as a solemn Finn. He joined four times for the Göteborg-Canton sails. He worked for the Company for 20 years.
Rörstrand/Arabia
Rörstrand founded Arabia factory in Helsinki in 1873, and Arabia bought Rörstrand in 1927. First the factories manufactured the same collection of tableware. The goal was to get to the Russian markets. In the beginning of 20th century Arabia started to make their own designs. Copper plate transfers were the main method for decoration but also hand painted lines. In 1942 Friedl Kjellberg found how to create rice porcelain ware.
Russian porcelain
Kuznetsov factory porcelain ware were sold in their own shops in Finland in the turn of the centuries. The Imperial Porcelain Factory (after the Revolution Lomonosov Porcelain Factory) solved out the secret recipe for porcelain in 1744. Sculptors and decorative painters graduated from St. Petersburg Academy of Arts and they were hired to the factory. The production of the National tableware Gurijev begun in 1809 during Aleksanteri I reign, although the factory was the busiest during Nikolai I reign, since services were ordered for coronations and several palaces.
The first private porcelain factory Gardner was founded in 1766 by English timber sales man Fransis J. Gardner, but was later sold as a part of Kuznetsov corporation. Sales man Alexei Popov bought a porcelain factory in 1811, that was founded by Karl Melli, who had worked at Gardner. The factory had their own laboratory for finding glazes and stains. In the 19th century there were several porcelain factories. The Kuznetsov factories got the Grand Prix from Paris Exhibition Universelle in 1900 and the Imperial suppliers title in 1902.
The National Museum of Finland has one of the worlds largest collection of Russian porcelain outside of Russia, over 1100 objects.