Blue Danube (Japan) Blue Danube China

• Manufacturer: Blue Danube (Japan)
• Pattern: Blue Danube
• Status: Discontinued.

Blue onion style, White background, Scalloped, Blue floral center and border, Thin blue trim.

Rarely will you find a china pattern with the provenance of Blue Danube China. The flavor of the pattern is definitely Oriental in nature, and the flowers depicted are ancient Chinese symbols of happiness, luck, and good fortune. With the opening of trade routes between the Orient and Europe, designs that were heretofore indigenous to the Far East began making their way West. Its roots go back even further, with European artists and designers falling for Oriental art with its focus on nature and consistent geometric artistry.

It is possible that the name “Blue Danube” may be an ode to Europe’s second largest river over which many of the merchants importing these china and designs may have traversed. Originally created in 1951, the patent for this design was held by Lipper International (formerly Lipper and Mann) who imported it from Japan and distributed it throughout the United States, Canada, Central America and parts of Europe. Blue Danube China is unique in that it is underglazed and fired at extremely high temperatures (over 2600 degrees).