Cobalt dishes are tea sets, individual cups, plates, dishes and even figurines made of high-quality porcelain. A distinctive feature of this kitchen utensil is the characteristic dark blue coating with cobalt paint and a gold painting inherent only to it. The dishes themselves and the patterns applied to it, by their origin, go back to the distant past.
Metal extracted from cobalt minerals formed the basis of paint for painting dishes. It happened in the XVIII century. The Chinese were the first to try to use cobalt in porcelain production. It is the dark blue color and its shades that give the objects volume and a special depth. The experience of the Chinese was immediately adopted by many European countries, including Russia.
Cobalt Cookware Manufacturers
The Imperial Porcelain Factory was built during the reign of Empress Elizabeth I in 1744. This enterprise is one of the largest manufacturers of porcelain products not only in Russia but also in Europe. After 152 years of his work - after the change of power - he was renamed the State Porcelain Factory. After another 8 years, it began to be called LFZ - the Leningrad or Lomonosov porcelain factory. This continued until 2005. Then the original name was returned to him, he again became the Imperial.
Novgorod was also famous for its pottery and glass production. 6 factories functioned successfully in the province. All these successful enterprises belonged to the merchant Kuznetsov Ivan Emelyanovich, and later to his descendants. The Bronnitsky factory was operating with the highest productivity, which after 1921 became known as the Proletarian plant.
During the Great Patriotic War, the plant was evacuated, and after it resumed production again.
In 1966, the company updated the equipment and became known as the Vozrozhdenie plant. His dishes were famous for their quality and unique patterns, while the products were completely covered with cobalt with gold painting. Pupils of the Mukhinsky school from St. Petersburg painted it only manually. Sketches of the models they created. Clay for porcelain was delivered from Ukraine, gold for painting - from the Moscow region. Several types of products were cast from blue porcelain:
- tea sets;
- dishes of various shapes and configurations;
- figurines;
- souvenirs in the form of local attractions.
The origin of the famous pattern
The visiting card of Russian porcelain (more precisely, LFZ) is deservedly considered the "cobalt net". For the first time, the pattern was invented and applied to the tea set by the artist Anna Yatskevich. This happened in 1944, when the blockade of Leningrad had just been lifted.
Anna was inspired by the experienced sad events: the light of the air defense projectors reflected in the windows sealed with crosses and the death of loved ones. It was in this drawing that the artist put hope for a happy future. I believe that people will never again see floodlights that cross the sky, so that while admiring this pattern, they remember the price of Victory. A blue cobalt grid on a white background gives expression to a gold painting.
The first gilded tea set, painted with the famous cobalt mesh, has the name “Tulip”. At first, this pattern did not receive universal recognition. He gained popularity after 1958. It was then that at the World Exhibition in Brussels, LFZ was awarded a gold medal for a service decorated with a cobalt grid. The company’s emblem was also developed by Anna Yatskevich, it is still used today.
Manufacturing process
The color of cobalt patterns depends on the thickness of the paint layer - the thicker it is, the darker the stroke. According to some reports, the Chinese were able to distinguish 7 shades of cobalt, and only 4 on Russian-made dishes. The difficulty is that you cannot see the color of the product before firing. When applied, the paint is dark gray in color, and acquires a blue color only after two firing sessions. therefore Correspondence of the color scheme of the finished product with the sketch of the artist completely depends on the experience and professionalism of the master.
A cobalt pattern is applied to the dishes under the underglaze method. Then the product is fired at a temperature of 850 ºС. After that, the surface is covered with special glaze and the firing process is repeated, but already at a higher temperature - about 1350 ºС. The final stage is the application of overglaze painting, and this is most often done in gold or silver.
Care Features
Dark blue cobalt in combination with gold against the background of white translucent porcelain is a win-win combination and the pride of the hostess. The presence of textured edging makes the dishes particularly sophisticated. In order for products to be an object of admiration for guests as long as possible, you need to follow simple rules for caring for them.
- Such dishes should be washed by hand, without the use of aggressive chemicals and abrasive products.
- If, however, you use a dishwasher, then only on careful mode and at a minimum temperature.
- Use in the microwave oven is strictly prohibited.
For brewing tea, of course, you can choose any dishes - the taste of the drink from this will not change. But an elegant set with cobalt painting and gilding can create a miracle.
It will turn an ordinary tea party into an elegant meal, add to this process solemnity and elegance.
For how porcelain dishes are made with the famous Cobalt Net decor, see the next video from the Imperial Porcelain Factory.
