The History of Polish Pottery and Ceramika Artystyczna

The town of Boleslawiec (Bowl-e-swa-vee-etz) in Poland is located on the Bóbr River in the Southwest region of Poland on the German and Czech borders. This region of the world has been a potter's community dating back to the 7th century, where special clay is mined on the river’s bank.

Ceramika Artystyczna — “Artistic Ceramics" — opened its production in post-war 1950 in the former factory "Paul und Sohn" (1893-1945). Here, the decorations applied to Polish pottery include numerous museum copies and traditional shapes. These stamped pottery decorations have been produced since the beginning of the 19th century. The decorating method includes hand sponging with intricately cut sponges while incorporating the famous "eye of the peacock's tail" motif. The results are beautiful works of art that are recognized among the finest examples of European stoneware for their uniqueness and decorative appeal. In past history, village craftsmen and peasants of lower Silesia, originally inspired by the peacock's feather motif, added their simple technique and beauty to clay objects. Today, each piece of Polish Stoneware is handpainted and either initialed by an artist or signed by the artist who created the original decorations on each piece.

Since opening in 1950, Ceramika Artystyczna has won numerous international awards for excellence in quality and design, competing with over 157 countries in the world. Information supplied by vendor.