Blue and White Chinese Ceramics: Their Influences and Islamic Adaptations (Research Paper Sample)

BLUE AND WHITE CHINESE CERAMICS
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Blue and White Chinese Ceramics
Introduction
Archaeological digs at eighteenth-century locations in North America frequently uncover shards of blue and white Chinese ceramics, especially fragments of delicate saucers and teacups (Shen, 2017, p. 197). They are intermixed with the more ordinary objects of ordinary life, such as animal bones, rubber soles, and steel knives, in most instances. The existence of 'chinaware' is seen by archaeologists as a marker of socioeconomic status and also as useful evidence connecting communities in East Coast port cities and trading routes on the Western boundary to the culture of gentility that prevailed in the 1700s and transformed British-American manners and consumption patterns. Scholars of material culture agree that such Chinese ceramics, together with painted earthenware discovered in digs, connected North Americans to the early modern era's global trade networks (Lee & Luo, 2016, p. 21). That being said, not many link these artefacts to an emerging culture of taste that for more than a century has been pulling the Western and Eastern worlds closer together. Expanding on the expertise of curators who specialize in ceramics in many dimensions, this paper suggests a method to position these exquisite blue-and-white ceramics in the perspective of globalization, including production, delivery, use, and significance. First, it provides a short overview of the circulation of the ceramics outside eastern Asia by examining early attempts by Islamic and European makers to imitate the breathtaking pieces. Then, the paper delves into the complicated mechanism by which these blue and white ceramics are made. It also provides insight into the relationship between ceramics from Bangladesh and Chinese blue and white ceramics. The paper then discusses the problems involved with technological transition, concentrating on European attempts to uncover the secret behind the ceramics while using earthenware technology to develop realistic reproductions. The paper finally, delves into the machinations of culture and design by examining the reproduction of the blue and white Chinese ceramics by European manufacturers to discern impact on the aesthetics of early modern North American consumers.
Background
The outstanding characteristics of the role of Chinese ceramics in world history have been illustrated in a plethora of literature with regard to the strong association between European and Asian cultures. While positing another way of analyzing the world ceramics trade of the early modern period, this report draws on these numerous observations. It should be remembered, however, that while the themes in the relevant literature concentrate on the development of porcelain, this report looks at the wide impact of the appearance of blue and white ceramics, or the aesthetic of chinaware.
In areas of the Middle East, the ceramics design that bloomed in China flourished and gradually spread across the West (Henderson, 2020, p.13). It is expressed in the tantamount demand for these blue and white Chinese ceramics and cross-cultural tastes for vibrant and delicate ceramics. Be it in Persia in the fifteenth century or Philadelphia in the eighteenth century, craftsmen used the techniques and technologies available to imitate the Chinese aesthetic. Most pieces were crafted from porcelain, although a myriad of them was made using different materials. This paper shifts away from porcelain production and concentrates on the level of impact of the blue and white Chinese ceramics. For the most part, this approach is geared towards discerning the effect on consumer demand rather than the spread of phenomena like manufacturing techniques as the basis for the prevalence of cross-culture exchange.
Rationale
In the wake of the large scale globalization characteristic of the 21st century. It is prudent that one pays homage to some of the most coveted items in certain cultures. Being from a Bangladeshi household, I have seen firsthand the aesthetic nature of ceramics especially from Bangladesh. But as aesthetically pleasing as they are, it is arguable that they do not compare to the blue and white Chinese ceramics. Indeed, this is because Chinese porcelain is credited with enacting and starting an en-masse. In this report, I pay homage to my Bangladeshi routes by delving into the roots of one of the much-revered ceramic legacy. That being said Vezzoli (2018, p. 842) points out that akin to China and Bangladesh, Pottery and Ceramics were popular in places like Egypt, Persia, Babylon, and Mesopotamia.
In Egypt for instance, it is believed that the first potter’s wheel was invented by the Egyptians. The wheel is said to have been used in carrying items like water and food. Ceramics and pottery were also rather popular in ancient Babylon because the building materials like bricks and ventilators were often made through a process that mirrors the manufacture of ceramics. Furthermore, it is argued that Mesopotamia also had a hand in the varied use of ceramics across the world's ancient civilizations. The Mesopotamians however, used the ceramics aesthetic mostly for decoration and some rudimentary construction.
Perhaps the most prominent users of ceramics were seen in the Roman and Greek civilizations. For the most part, the Romans and the Greeks used the beauty of ceramics to express their love for architecture and art (Varlan, 2018, p.16). Some of the ancient Roman and Greek ceramic artefacts are discernible today in museums all over Europe. Akin to the Chinese and their love for blue and white ceramics. The ancient Greeks also preferred coloured clay mostly the red type and it was prevalently used on vases and pots. Likewise, the gods in Roman and Greek culture were immortalized in ceramic aesthetic often with a black glaze (Charalambidou et al. 2016, p. 530). Notably, the Greeks made children’s toys in the form of terracotta figures. In both Roman and Greek cultures, ceramic tiles were made to create mosaics. This report will draw on such pervasive use of ceramics to delve into the legacy of blue and white Chinese ceramics across the world.
Methodology
For this report, an appraisal of the relevant literature centring on blue and white Chinese ceramics was done. For the most part, it was necessary that themes grounding what the myriad of academics and scholars centre on are delved into. However, given the long history of blue and white Chinese ceramics. It was necessary to filter out the literature through delving into only research from peer-reviewed journals and articles that command credibility.
Discussion
History of Blue White Chinese Ceramics
Chinese blue and white ceramics encompass a wide array of white ceramics and porcelain-coated with a blue colour, typically cobalt oxide, under the glaze. Originally done by brush drawing with the use of a hand, nowadays, they are manufactured by stencilling or transfer-printing. In some cases, both modern means and hand application is used (Wen et al, 2019, p. 13362). The cobalt colouring, particularly for porcelain, is one of those that can endure the extreme temperatures needed to make the designs and partly explains its massive appeal. Mostly as an alternative, so many other colours are traditionally involved in overglaze designing and then a second heating at a reduced temperature. This decorative style's origin is believed to be Iraq especially in the wake of craftsmen from the region of Basra trying to imitate the design and aesthetic of the Chinese stoneware using custom tin-glazed motifs, white pottery and additional blue glazes (Matin et al, 2018, p. 42). 
In present-day Iraq, ceramics dated to the 9th century A.D., ages after the development of a direct sea route from Iraq to China, some Abbasid-era "blue and white" fragments have been discovered. A type of decoration based on sinuous plant types spreading across the item was later refined and most widely used in China. In the 14th century, after the cobalt pigment for the blue started to be imported from Persia, blue and white decoration first became commonly used in Chinese porcelain (Montella, 2016, p.74). In Islamic ceramics, and in Japan, and later in European tin-glazed earthenware like Delftware, it was extensively exported and influenced impressionistic products and European porcelain after the methods were identified in the 18th century. Although much of them mirror older styles, blue and white ceramics continue to be produced in both of these cultures. To mimic lapis lazuli, which was a highly valued stone, the ancient Mesopotamians first produced blue glazes.
Eventually, during the Abbasid Caliphate, a cobalt blue glaze became common in Islamic pottery, especially at a time when cobalt was extracted in a nearby location. 
In Henan province, China, during the Tang dynasty, the first Chinese blue and white ceramics were produced as early as the seventh century, but only shards have so far been excavated. The blue-and-white of the Tang era is more uncommon than the blue-and-white of the Song period and was unidentified until 1985 (Enyuan, et al, 2020, p. 85). However, the Tang ceramics are not porcelain, but instead, earthenwares, made using cobalt blue pigments, with a greenish-white fall. The world's last three complete 'Tang blue and white' pieces were sold to Singapore after being retrieved in 1998 from the Indonesian Belitung shipwreck. For several decades, the ...