Opus - the latest to Dankotuwa porcelain range
by Surekha Galagoda
[email protected]
Dankotuwa Porcelain last week launched its latest hotelware range
"Opus" designed by famous UK designer Robin Levin.
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American Ambassador Robert Blake and other visitors admire some
of the Dankotuwa products at the function to launch the latest
range of porcelainware.
Pic. by Saliya Rupasinghe. |
Dankotuwa Porcelain in its 24-year history was not the first to
produce porcelain in Sri Lanka but it was the first to promote the use
of porcelain for a new lifestyle in Sri Lanka.
The company was originally set up to cater to the domestic needs and
then moved to the export market.
In the early 1990's the company decided to make an impact in the
dining culture of Sri Lanka. Then came the "Tableware show" and the
"Tabletop Designer of the Year contests which made a tremendous impact
on the table arrangement scene in the country.
The company rebranded itself and repositioned its products. Dankotuwa
promoted its products as fashion utility items and not merely as utility
tableware. This was for the fashion conscious and for those who
understand a more sophisticated lifestyle and who take pride in good
table setting, said a spokesman for the company.
Two years ago the management decided to cater more to the local
market and provide an opportunity for locals and tourists to purchase
some of the more popular worldwide designs. Accordingly, about 10
surface designs are introduced to the local market annually.
The spokesman said that while Sri Lankans were focusing on surface
patterns the international market was demanding different shapes and
therefore the company introduced at least two new shapes annually while
some of these new shapes have been introduced to the local market as
well.
Porcelain has a very interesting origin. The Chinese probably made
the first true porcelain during the Tang dynasty in the seventh century.
For centuries the Chinese made the world's finest porcelain and
collectors regarded many porcelain bowls and vases made during the Ming
dynasty and Qin dynasty as artists' treasures.
The Royal families of Europe paid very high prices for these products
and it prompted the King of Poland and the Elector of Saxony to some of
the famous alchemists of the time to discover the secret of making white
porcelain.
A German chemist Johann Freidrich Bottger discovered the secret in
1709 and since it was a group of Alchemists who did it, and it was pure
white, it was called white gold.
The factory in Maissen was heavily guarded by the military to prevent
the secret leaking out. Even today the centre for porcelain technology,
porcelain machinery and the centre for excellence in Porcelain is
Europe, particularly Germany. |
