I'm no expert on porcelain, but I've been to Meissen before. That's the place where (as far as I know) they make some of the best and most expensive (handmade) porcelain in Europe. We bought a little vase for about $100US: with a entire dinner set costing around $6-7 thousand. Their standard design also uses the cobalt blue underglaze. It always looks pretty hazy when one compares it to modern porcelain prints (like Villeroy & Bock)
Bottom of page shows an early design:http://www.bauerart.com/meissen2.html

I found this on the tradition of cobalt blue on white:

"Painting the porcelain surface may be done in several ways. One method is to use a colored glaze, such as the famous Chinese celadon. This glaze is a soft gray-green color. Another type of decoration is underglaze (designs painted on a piece before it is glazed). A deep blue made from the metal cobalt is the most dependable color used for underglazing. Cobalt blue has been widely used both in China and in Europe."
http://www.artistictile.net/pages/Info/Info_Porcelain.html