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Finer Things
Wedding China
By Jara Anton
It seems today that everyone has wedding mania! What your dream wedding is going to look like is something that women envision about as children. What's the color scheme, what kind of cake, where will it be held? These are all details that the bride and groom need to work out. When it comes to what type of dishes that will carry your cake and serve up that chicken marsala, is when it seems that most grooms tune out. Are you asking yourself what the heck is wedding china, anyway? Don't fret, here's the scoop!
Plates, no big deal, right? Pick one and move on! Not so fast. Wedding china is not just plates. The finest wedding china comes in a few different categories.
First off, a quick lesson on where wedding china comes from…China and later on, Japan. Chinaware is demanded not only in the US but in Europe as well. Japanese chinaware is slightly more popular. Created much later than it's Chinese countertype, Japanese china had a lot to do with the culture of the Rising Sun.
Japanese chinaware was valued above gold and only the richest and most prosperous families could purchase it. China was such a precious gift that it was used as a gift that would soothe international conflicts. Chinaware was always stored very carefully and shown rarely to the public, so it was the act of displaying their china that indicated great taste and magnificence.
The Sazuma, Kutani, Arita chinaware is very well-known all around the world for its sophisticated beauty. The chinaware of this class is stored at specially created places in Japanese houses such as alcoves or wooden supports or low tables. Those supports are seen as a part of the flower composition but still are independent interior pieces which create a specific tone in the whole area of the room.
Magnificent vases, bowls and dishes from the Arita workshop became famous in Europe in 17th century as the precious and expensive pieces of interior which were demanded by all monarchs and kings. Those exotic bowls and vases painted all over the surface with bright colors, golden and silver ornaments depicting flowers, herbs, dragons, wonderful birds, animals, episodes from the samurai lives, brought the spirit of the faraway and unknown land to Europe.
The unbelievable fame came to the workshop in the 17th century after a talented master called Kakiemon came up with the idea of the multicolor painting of the goods. The forms of the goods were up to the merchants that would order a specific amount of chinaware according to the catalogues of chinaware which usually were Chinese. The requests usually included dishes, bowls, vases, teapots, jars and pitchers all of which were usually sold in pairs for chimney stands in the aristocratic houses of Europe.
Despite the popularity in Europe Japanese chinaware was still very popular at the domestic markets. It was served as decoration items in samurais' houses and that of prosperous merchants. The precious chinaware became a popular decoration in European houses as well as those in the east.
Bone china is amongst the rarest and most expensive. When it comes to bone china, Noritake china is one of the most expensive lines of chinaware. The Noritake factory is located in Japan. The table sets are produced in very small amounts, thus the chinaware becomes a part of the antiques category as soon as it is produced. Obviously, this drives the sets' prices up from year to year. The chinaware is unique with its beauty, because it is made from natural and ecologically positive (green) materials. This chinaware is unique in its olive tincture and the composition of ingredients.
Chinaware has been valued from the ancient times until now and was considered as the major indicator as to the family's prosperity. Sophisticated chinaware sets could quickly and easily display the owner's taste and social status without words.