What is black porcelain?

Black porcelain is porcelain whose body is pigmented all the way through before firing, rather than glazed or painted black on the surface. Because the color is in the clay, a chip reveals more black rather than white, and the finish reads as depth rather than coating.

That single distinction is the whole reason this vessel exists.

Fully pigmented, never painted

Most black vases are white ceramic wearing black. Look at the base, the lip, the inside of the neck, and you will usually find the truth: a seam where the coating stopped, or a rim that has already worn through to pale.

Ours are pigmented at the clay stage. The pigment is blended into the porcelain body, thrown, then fired once. What comes out is a vessel that is black in cross-section, with the faint tonal variation that only happens when color and material are the same thing. Under a lamp it does not shine so much as absorb, and then release a little light at the curve.

Made in Chaozhou

Our porcelain is handcrafted in Chaozhou, in Guangdong province, a city that has been producing ceramics for roughly six thousand years and porcelain specifically for well over a thousand. It is not a factory town that took up porcelain; it is where a great deal of the world's fine porcelain has always come from, and the skill sits in families rather than in machines.

Each vessel is thrown, finished and inspected by hand. The gold monogram is applied last, lightly, at the front. The result is a vase you would keep if the flowers ever needed replacing — which, being Eternity® Blooms, they do not.

The silhouettes

All three are in the Black Porcelain collection, and each comes in the season's deepest hues as well as the core palette.

• Amphora — the most sculptural of the three, with a high shoulder and a narrow neck. Our best-selling black porcelain silhouette and the one that carries a dark floral best. In Blackberry or Burgundy.
• Tazza — footed and wide, closer to a compote. The one for a dining table, because it sits low and lets the arrangement spread. In Blackberry or Burgundy.
• Sylvie — the smallest and most architectural, and the easiest to place. A desk, a nightstand, a bathroom counter. In Blackberry or Burgundy.

[ LINK TO ADD — the Aphrodite silhouette is still in draft. Add it to this list once it is live. ]

What to put in it

Black porcelain and pale flowers is a striking, high-contrast look, and it is the expected one. The more interesting choice is black on black.

Because the vessel is matte depth rather than gloss, dark blooms do not disappear into it — they lift off it. Blackberry Eternity® Roses against black porcelain read as berry and violet where the light catches, and as shadow where it does not. Burgundy does the same in a warmer register. This is the pairing that made Black Porcelain the fall vessel in the first place, and it sits at the centre of Fall Blooms.

For volume, Eternity® Hydrangeas in Bordeaux or Blackberry Smoke fill a wider silhouette without looking crowded — see the Thalia Porcelain Vase in Blackberry Smoke.

Caring for a black porcelain vase

Dust it with a dry microfibre cloth. Do not use anything abrasive or any cleaner with bleach, and do not put water in it — there is no need, and a pigmented porcelain body is happier dry. Keep the arrangement out of direct sunlight, which is for the flowers rather than the vase.

Frequently asked questions

What is black porcelain?

Porcelain pigmented throughout the clay body before firing rather than painted or glazed on the surface. The color goes all the way through, so the finish reads as depth and a chip reveals black rather than white.

Are your black porcelain vases painted?

No. They are fully pigmented, meaning the color is blended into the porcelain body before it is thrown and fired. That is why the finish is matte and dimensional rather than coated, and why it does not wear pale at the rim.

Where is Venus et Fleur porcelain made?

In Chaozhou, Guangdong, a city with roughly six thousand years of ceramic production. Each vessel is thrown, finished and inspected by hand, then finished with our gold monogram at the front.

What flowers look best in a black vase?

Dark blooms, counterintuitively. Because the porcelain is matte, Blackberry and Burgundy roses lift off it rather than disappearing into it. Pale roses give you high contrast if you prefer a graphic look.

How do you clean a black porcelain vase?

Dust with a dry microfibre cloth. Avoid abrasives, bleach-based cleaners and water. Preserved arrangements need no water, so the vessel stays dry for its whole life.

Explore the Black Porcelain collection, shop Fall Blooms or browse all handcrafted porcelain vessels.