The decoration in blue on white is the result of a unique cultural and stylistic fusion between the Near East and the Far East. The exhibition features a representative sample from the Museum's collection, of vessels from Persia, China, and Japan, alongside works by Udi Charka and Noa Chernichovsky, contemporary artists who provide the long-standing tradition with a local aspect and their personal interpretations.

While the production of porcelain vessels in China began as early as the late 8th century, it was their decoration with "Islamic" cobalt blue that brought them their popularity in China and elsewhere. These vessels became so desirable on aristocratic tables that they outvalued gold.

The cobalt blue pigment arrived in China only in the 13th century via Muslim traders from Persia, where it was used to decorate pottery and tiles in mosques in the geometric and vegetal style characteristic of Islamic art. In the absence of porcelain, the ceramic vessels were initially painted white, but their shade changed after being fired, and could not compare to the exquisite beauty, bright whiteness, and smooth texture of porcelain.

The pure white quality, delicacy, and transparency of porcelain gave those vessels their high status. Despite their thinness, they are durable thanks to the firing process at a temperature higher than that used for clay (1280°c). These properties characterize kaolin, a mineral mined in the village of Gaolin near the town of Jingdezhen, turning the place into China's porcelain capital to this day.

The Chinese artists, like the Persians, began to paint stylized decorations and repeated patterns in blue, which they adapted to the shape of the vessel. Chinese motifs, such as dragons, mythical beasts, and flowers, gradually evolved into a free depiction of scenes and landscapes with brushstrokes of varying intensities, essentially reminiscent of ink painting scrolls. Under their skillful hand, the surface of the vessels became a painting ground, and their status rose from useful mass-produced vessels to that of unique works of art.

In the late 13th century, the Chinese began to export porcelain vessels decorated in blue to the Near East. The demand soon increased, and they became a status symbol. Sometimes, their forms imitated Muslim metal vessels, in keeping with the taste of the nobility, for whom they were intended.

Production and export began to expand, especially in the time of the Mongolian Yuan dynasty (1271–1368), when international maritime trade developed in China. During that period, Marco Polo arrived at the court of Mongol ruler Kublai Khan, who was known for his openness to foreign cultures and promotion of the arts. The popularity of these vessels grew, and in the following centuries it also spread to Europe and Japan, where they continued to develop and improve. In retrospect, the blue-and-white porcelain may be regarded as one of the first international "brands," whose success in both the East and the West possibly marked the beginning of globalization.