Blue and White Porcelain – Sourcing the Real Deal in the Boston Area

During my local travels to find accessories and artwork for my Boston area clients, I came across a shop in Waltham, MA, which I recommend highly as a “must visit” for my readers in New England: 
                  May’s Gallery at 1377 Main St (Route 117) in Waltham, MA

May imports porcelain vases, jars, bowls, and sculptures directly from the current-day porcelain studios and kilns in Jingdezhen, China.  The selection is spectacular, quality is tops, and each piece is a work of art. Here’s a photo of May Lynch, the owner of May’s Gallery (whose family is from Jingdezhen, China) standing in front of some of her beautiful wares.    

From a decorative aspect, you will notice blue and white porcelains everywhere in interior design, especially since the color navy and the desire for “clean and crisp” interiors is so popular today.  In my Feb 2018 blog post “The Color Navy - Both Trend and a Classic,” I showcased interiors with blue and white porcelains as accessories. So I guess that it’s high time that I gave you some tips on where to shop for these accessories, especially one-of-a-kind pieces of the fine quality offered by May’s Gallery.  

I interviewed May and Kevin Lynch about their business and what makes Jingdezhen porcelains so unique.  They explained that Jingdezhen, in the Jiangxi Province by the Yangtze River, is the place where the art of porcelain began in China, thanks to local sources of kaolin clay and petuntse (china stone). These “secret ingredients” were combined and fired at temperatures as high as 1,300 ˚C (2,375 ˚F) in local kilns, producing an incredibly strong material that could hold up in even the thinnest of vessels.   The colors aren’t limited to blue and white, with celadon green, reds, grays, and other colors being produced and perfected through the centuries by the artisans in Jingdezhen.  

May’s offers a large selection of porcelain in traditional Blue and White and reds, celadon, and multi-colored items.  I was particularly amazed at the variety of their offerings, especially large items which would be near impossible to have shipped from on-line sources.  You just have to see these authentic pieces to appreciate the artwork and fine craftsmanship - and the prices are very fair and reasonable.  May’s also offers contemporary designs from the artists of Jingdezhen to complement the traditional styles that make Jingdezhen Porcelain internationally renowned.  ​

On their website, May explains her selection of porcelains:
 
“Why Jingdezhen Porcelain?

• China is a large country with resources for ceramics production spread out over many different regions. Early ceramics have been discovered that are thought to have been created as early as 9,000 BC. The early products were made of earthenware. Over centuries ceramic production evolved in terms of the materials used, production techniques, and colors and glazes. This process resulted in the production of porcelain.  Starting in the mid-1300’s the Ming Dynasty Emperor decided to designate Jingdezhen (jing-de-jen) as the official site for manufacturing Imperial porcelain. Through the following centuries emperors commissioned thousands of pieces from the kilns at Jingdezhen for use in the Imperial household as well as for gifts of state. American and European merchants in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries exported Jingdezhen porcelains to their home countries for discriminating customers - the "China Trade." Chinese porcelain was prized throughout the Americas, Europe, and the Middle East for its beauty and usefulness. Jingdezhen has set the standard for making porcelain objects known and imitated throughout the world. It is still known as “Porcelain City.” Jingdezhen porcelain is found in many museum collections, attesting to its history and beauty and the skill of the artisans who created it.    We travel to Jingdezhen to purchase our porcelain and import it into the U.S. We carefully select each piece individually, evaluating it for design, quality, craftsmanship, style, and value. We reject many fine pieces that fail to meet our standards.”

 
“Where is Jingdezhen?

• Jingdezhen is a city of over 1.5 million people located in northeast Jiangxi Province, China. It is about 734 miles (1,128 km) south of Beijing. The city dates back over 2,000 years and has produced porcelain for over 1,700 years. It is located near Chang and Le'an rivers -tributaries of Poyang Lake - and near the eastern bank of the Yangtse River. These were important waterways for the transportation of clays for ceramic production and wood for the kilns in the early days of the region’s history. They also provided an avenue for the export of porcelain to Europe and America. Jingdezhen was known to produce high quality ceramics as early as the Tang Dynasty (618-907).”

 
Here is a link to the website for May’s Gallery if you want to read and see more:  http://maysgallery.net/index.html

While doing research for this blog, I found out some interesting things about Blue and White porcelain and the whole “China Trade” of Porcelain. I know, I’m such a history nerd - but it all makes sense to understand why Chinese porcelains became so popular in the Western World (including Europe and America) back in the 1,700’s, and why these fine ceramics have had a place in practically every decorating style across the last 300 years.  In a nutshell, the West had to import from China because, until the early 1,700’s, western potters had not discovered the secret ingredients and techniques to make hard shell porcelains.  If you would like to know more about this topic, please see the article “History of Chinese Porcelain In America and Europe” by Bruce Richardson: 
          https://www.bostonteapartyship.com/tea-blog/history-of-chinese-porcelain-america-europe
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​I always say that you need to showcase any accent color in your home in at least three places in a room, and those accent colors (like red) can be done easily in ceramics.  Here’s a particularly beautiful green and white vase I had my eye on for my own dining room in Sudbury which is decorated in shades of green and teal and features many treasures we have picked up from our international travels.  As you know, we recently returned from an amazing trip to Japan, Korea, and China, but we were unable to bring back breakable items like ceramics. The scene on this vase is so peaceful to me, and reminiscent of our lovely and peaceful trip.  

​So, if you are looking for that special accessory for your home, please do yourself a favor and visit May and Kevin at May’s Gallery. I’m so glad I found May’s Gallery as a unique and top-quality local resource, and I hope you’ll visit there soon.