Antique Flow Blue Doulton Burslem 10 1/2 Plate "Madras" Pattern

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Antique Flow Blue plate by Doulton Burslem in the "Madras" pattern. The Doulton Burslem company became Royal Doulton in 1901 … Read more Antique Flow Blue plate by Doulton Burslem in the "Madras" pattern. The Doulton Burslem company became Royal Doulton in 1901 when King Edward awarded the company the royal warrant. Flow Blue pieces are so named for the way the cobalt blue ink bleeds a bit in the firing process.

The style originated in England in the 1800s as English pottery companies did their best to recreate the popular porcelain designs being imported from China. In doing so, they developed a type of earthenware that was whiter than other pottery and looked a bit more like porcelain. Rather than hand painting the pieces, designs were transferred from a metal plate to a blank white object. This became known as transferware.

In keeping with the Chinese designs, cobalt blue ink was used. However, during the firing process, the ink “flowed” a bit which resulted in a softened design and therefore became known as “Flow Blue.” There are different theories as to whether this process was intentional or accidental, but either way, people loved the watercolor effect and it became quite the craze. Potteries began producing more and more and shipped the newly created designs all over the world—most especially to America. See less