Blue Onion

[1] The Blue Onion pattern was designed by Johann Gregor Herold in 1739 likely inspired by a Chinese bowl from the Kangxi period.

The pattern it was modelled after by Chinese porcelain painters, featured pomegranates unfamiliar in Saxony, so the plates and bowls produced in the Meissen factory in 1740 created their own style and feel.

The design is a grouping of several floral motifs, with peonies and asters in the pattern's centre, and winding stems around a bamboo stalk.

[2] While the design is considered to have originated from an east Asian model, likely Chinese, it also demonstrates the European influence within the abstract stylisation.

It is connected with the rhythm and rules of rococo ornamentation: for instance, the asymmetrical motif is composed according to type in various areas, giving the impression of symmetry.