We’ve sold this charming stoneware at multiple QBO sales. Known collectively as “Polish Pottery”, it does not come from a single artist or even a single manufacturer but does originate from a single place. And that place would be Bolesławiec, Poland, an 800-year old city astride the Bóbr River, surrounded by Bolesławiec County. Both suitable clay and a nearby body of water are required for ceramics manufacturing, so in the 14th century when locals unearthed a vein of fine clay, the discovery touched off a ceramics boom that has flourished for 600 years, pausing only in World War II while the city was occupied, first by Germans and then by Soviets.
Bolesławiec ceramics made in the 1300s were brown and white, but as demand grew across Europe, Polish ceramicists introduced yellow, green, pink, and especially cobalt blue, a color also used in Russian and English porcelains and favored by Europe’s mammoth of an overseas competitor, China. To increase productivity and undercut their competitors, Polish artisans started using stamps to quickly apply repeating designs of ceramic paint that they enhanced with hand-painted details. A clear over-glaze is added and the pottery re-fired at high heat. Both the specific color combos and stamping technique that give the pottery its distinctive look are still used today and every piece ever made has been decorated by hand. New Polish Pottery is sold by high-end home stores and online, vintage is sold on eBay and at Estate Sales.
Although it is an old craft, the many pottery factories in Bolesławiec today are relatively new compared to centuries-old British porcelain producers such as Wedgwood. These Polish ceramic makers include Ceramika Artystyczna (Artistic Ceramics), founded in 1950 and specializing in sophisticated interpretations of traditional designs for which they have received many awards. Ceramica Artystyczna Wiza was started in 1963 by Stanislaw Wiza and today employs 100 artists. WR Ceramika S.C. J.K. Rutyna has been producing floral Polish pottery since 1978 and exports to the US, Germany, England and Italy. The “Manufaktura” Sp. J. Smoleński & Zwierz Stone Pottery Factory has been producing traditional shapes with new artist-designed decorative elements for over 25 years. Ceramika Bolesławiecka Kalich (shown in photo) was founded in 2001 by Jacek and Weronika Kalich, who refurbished an historic factory in Bolesławiec and now produce over 600 different ceramic products. Ceramika Artystyczna Vena is a small family company known for its contemporary style; it was founded in 2003 by designer Ewa Walczak and ANDY ceramics is another small, family-run Polish Pottery factory. Last but certainly not least, Zaklady Ceramiczne is a major producer that sells ceramics across the world with designs influenced by Polish, Czech and German traditions.
Because they all work within the same tight design tradition, pieces you collect from different decades and different makers will fit seamlessly together on your table. And, Polish Pottery is exceptionally sturdy – freezer, microwave, oven or dishwasher, these ceramics can handle it all.
Today the variety of Polish Pottery available is absolutely mind-boggling, spanning pretty much every piece you’d ever want on your table, and branching out into non-tableware pieces such as fermenting crocks, spice and honey jars, fridge magnets, pet bowls, candlesticks, lamps, clocks, frames, piggy banks, keyrings, necklaces, soap dispensers, even hand-stamped and decorated glazed ceramic sinks! Udanego polowania, (Happy hunting!) We will see you soon.
Tuesday Treasures was started by our staff member, Jeanne Lusignan. Each week she will be featuring items that have been found at our estate sales. If you would like to submit a treasure for Jeanne to feature in a future installment of “Tuesday’s Treasures”, please follow the button below and send us an email! Please attach a few photos of your treasure in a beautiful setting as well as any details you have about your item such as manufacturer, use, age, region of origin. If you don’t know about the piece, that’s okay! We still might be able to research it for you! Don’t forget to tell us what makes this item such a treasure to you!