The Art of Polish Pottery, as we know it today, started as local folk art hundreds of years ago in the German province of Silesia. Then the German town of Bunzlau, today the Polish city of Boleslawiec has a history of pottery making dating back to the 7th century. Located on the Bobr River in southwestern Poland, it is home to this traditional ceramic art.
The first known pieces of �Bunzlauer� stoneware date back to the 16th century and were crafted by hand, decorated with a folk art stamping technique employing potatoes. Farmers made pottery in the winter, when it was too cold for outside work, for use in their own kitchens. Each bowl and plate was an individual work of art. Original designs were inspired by the peacock feather using the colors of cobalt blue, sage green and ferrous red. These designs and colors are still the inspiration for modern day patterns.
Today, skilled Polish artists still individually handcraft and hand decorate each piece using small sponges to stamp each pattern and color. The stoneware is made from white clay indigenous to Boleslawiec, Poland. Molds are used for some pieces, while plates are still generally made on a pottery wheel. After the process of mixing ingredients, molding the pottery, applying the decorations and glaze, the pottery is twice fi red at temperatures in excess of 12500C. Decorations are under the lead-free glaze, insuring that it is non-toxic and impervious to abrasives. This fi ring process makes the pottery extremely durable � it will not crack or chip easily � and it is perfect for use in the microwave, dishwasher, oven and freezer. Clean-up is easy with no pan preparation
Today there are still several factories in Boleslawiec that produce this hand-crafted product. We are featuring pottery in this catalog from three of the largest factories � Zaklady, Vena and Ceramika. They use virtually the same raw materials and time-honored techniques to craft the pottery, but each off ers unique patterns and shapes to satisfy individual tastes. While traditional patterns remain most popular, there are literally hundreds of patterns produced.
We hope the information provided about Polish Pottery gives you a greater appreciation for the art and beauty of our pottery. We are confident you will not only find our pottery beautiful and functional, but a treasure for years to come!