Blue Onion (German: ''Zwiebelmuster'') is a

porcelain Porcelain () is a ceramic material made by heating substances, generally including materials such as kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to other types of pottery, arises mainl ...

tableware Tableware is any dish or dishware used for setting a table, serving food, and dining. It includes cutlery, List of glassware, glassware, serving dishes, and other items for practical as well as decorative purposes. The quality, nature, variet ...

pattern for dishware. Originally manufactured by Meissen porcelain in the 18th century and the late 19th Century. It has been copied by other companies.

History

The "onion" pattern was originally named the "bulb" pattern.Kovels: Onion Pattern
The Blue Onion pattern was designed by

Johann Gregor Herold Johann Gregor Herold or Johann Gregorius Höroldt (6 August 1696, in Jena – 26 January 1775, in Meissen) was a German painter and porcelain painter. He was a key early figure in defining the styles of decoration for Meissen porcelain from 1723 ...

in 1739 likely inspired by a Chinese bowl from the Kangxi period. The pattern it was modelled after by Chinese porcelain painters, featured pomegranates unfamiliar in Saxony, so the plates and bowls produced in the Meissen factory in 1740 created their own style and feel. Among the earliest Chinese examples are underglaze blue and white porcelains of the early

Ming Dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

. The Meissen painters created hybrids that resembled flora more familiar to Europeans. The so-called "onions" are not onions at all, but, according to historians, are most likely mutations of the

peach The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, non-fu ...

es and pomegranates, modelled on the original Chinese pattern. The design is a grouping of several floral motifs, with peonies and

asters ''Aster'' is a genus of perennial flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. Its circumscription has been narrowed, and it now encompasses around 170 species, all but one of which are restricted to Eurasia; many species formerly in ''Aster'' are ...

in the pattern's centre, and winding stems around a

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, bu ...

stalk. Before the end of the 18th century, other porcelain factories were copying the Meissen ''Zwiebelmuster''. In the 19th century almost all the European manufactories offered a version, with

transfer-printed Transfer printing is a method of decorating pottery or other materials using an engraved copper or steel plate from which a monochrome print on paper is taken which is then transferred by pressing onto the ceramic piece. Fleming, John & Hugh Hon ...

outlines that were coloured in by hand.

Enoch Wedgwood Enoch Wedgwood (1813-1879) was an English potter, founder in 1860 of the pottery firm Wedgwood & Co of Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent. He was a distant cousin of the famous potter Josiah Wedgwood Josiah Wedgwood (12 July 1730 – 3 January 1795) ...

's pattern in the 1870s was known as "Meissen". Today, a Japanese version called "Blue Danube" is well-known and featured amongst tableware patterns.

Characteristics

While the design is considered to have originated from an east

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

n model, likely Chinese, it also demonstrates the European influence within the abstract stylisation. It is connected with the rhythm and rules of

rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

ornamentation: for instance, the asymmetrical motif is composed according to type in various areas, giving the impression of symmetry.A Brief History of Zwiebelmuster Onion Pattern Porcelain
The onion pattern was designed as a white ware decorated with cobalt blue underglaze pattern. Sometimes dishes have gold leaf accents on them. Some rare dishes have a green, red, pink, or black pattern instead of the cobalt blue. A very rare type is called ''red bud'' because there are red accents on the blue-and-white dishes.

References

External links

Zwiebelmuster aus Dubi CzechHomepage Meissen Porcelain
{{Porcelain Porcelain German porcelain Meissen porcelain Individual patterns of tableware