M. Louise McLaughlin

“ To the artist of ability sufficient to make use of it, it furnishes a palette which, although not of the same range as that of oil colors, yet affords an almost unlimited scale of colors, each of which is enhanced to the fullest degree by the brilliant glaze, with which the work is finished. The painting executed with these beautiful colors, moreover, is practically unchangeable, and none of the ravages of time, short of the destruction of the piece of ware itself, can affect it. ”

“ All the stronger colors are intensified to a degree difficult to realize before experience has taught the artist what to expect. They all become several shades darker, and, in the case of blues, blacks and greens, it is more difficult to obtain delicacy, than depth of tint.
In the use of scarlet, crimson and yellow, a considerable amount of the color in proportion to the clay must be used for the darker portions to give sufficient depth. Only enough clay must be taken to give body to the paint, and the mixture should then be applied very thickly. ”

“ We see every day, attempts, in which the failure to reach the point aimed at is absurdly obvious, where, if the effort had been less ambitious in its aim, the result would not only be less an object of ridicule, but of far more intrinsic value. ”

“ The design having been drawn upon the surface with a lead pencil, the ground, if it is to be colored, may be laid on with some color, or mixture of colors, which will harmonize with the decoration. As it is impossible to paint it smoothly with a brush, or to do it by any of the methods in use for over-glaze painting, the ground must be “dabbled” on, either with a small blending brush, or better, a sponge, which has been cut to the proper shape and size, and which may be fastened in a quill and used as a brush. ”

“ The most common form of the union of the two methods is that in which gilding is used as an adjunct to under-glaze decoration. Gold is always applied over the glaze, as it would be utterly destroyed by the action of the heat necessary in the firing of any hard glaze. That prepared by decorators by dissolving gold in aqua regia may be used, or the “bright” gold, which is obtained in a liquid state. The former is the most durable, and when fired can be burnished or left with a dead finish, which in many cases has the most pleasing effect. ”

“ The mere knowledge of the materials used will, however, no more produce artistic work, than a box of Winsor & Newton’s colors, in the hands of a beginner, will enable him to paint a picture, equal to one by Titian. To produce good work in this method, there must be a certain amount of skill at the command of the painter, just as the same degree of skill is requisite in the production of a good picture by any other method. ”

“ In the lower grades of ware a larger amount of lead is used for a flux, and this causes the glaze to fuse at the comparatively low temperature at which these wares are fired. A glaze made of materials that fuse at an unusually low temperature is called a “soft” glaze. Some glazes are so soft that, when fired, they can be easily scratched by the point of a steel instrument. The glaze of good and durable wares is, however, so hard, that the point of the sharpest knife will make no impression on its surface. ”

“ Where it is not possible for the amateur, for whom these hints are written, to obtain such wares for decoration, very pretty work can be produced, as has been mentioned before, by the use of a body of naturally colored clay upon which white or a light-colored clay can be applied.
Relief-work can be finished with a full glaze, a very slight glaze, or can be left unglazed. As a general thing it may be said that the modeling in a design in high relief will look best with but a slight glaze, or none at all. ”

“ Nevertheless, in an experience of more than two years, chiefly spent in experimenting on different methods of under-glaze decoration, I have learned some things which may be of use to others, and have thought that a treatise upon the subject from an unprofessional, yet practical standpoint, might have its place in the literature of ceramics which has now become so extensive. ”

“ The decoration of pottery under the glaze offers opportunity for the production of work, beautiful and artistic in a high degree, and in its simpler forms gives to those who do not aspire to the higher art, a most fascinating and labor-rewarding study. ”

“ On the other hand, overglaze painting, while not subject to the changes produced by the fire, to so great an extent, is more difficult as regards the manipulation of the painting upon the glazed surface. The facilities for the practice of overglaze painting are greater than those afforded for painting under the glaze, which last, requires not only the handling of an artist who [Pg 27] has acquired facile use of the brush and some experience of pottery clays and colors, but also the assistance of an intelligent and skillful potter. ”

“ On a “smear” glaze the “bright” gold produces a beautiful dead gold effect, owing to the dead surface of the ware to which it is applied. In Japanese wares, dark blue, under-glaze, often appears in conjunction [Pg 94] with gold, and also with red, green, or other colors which have been put on over the glaze.
One beautiful result of the combination of over and under-glaze painting is seen in the ware painted by Lemonnier. In this the ground is generally painted under the glaze in a manner similar to that described in this chapter for the production of Lambeth faience. ”

“ The white clay takes the place of white, and is used to lighten every tint, as well as to form a body for the colors. It is a good plan, where experience has rendered it possible to do it with judgment and certainty of result, to mix the various tints in water with clay, in quantities, and then allow them to dry. When dry, they can be pulverized and the colored powder can be put away in bottles for future use. This saves time when painting, and also ensures a like result from the use of a mixture which has already been tested and found to be satisfactory. ”

“ It is necessary to exercise this care in keeping the ware moist, in order to prevent the clay, [Pg 47] which is applied to the surface in painting, from cracking during the process of drying. It must always be borne in mind that the material made use of in painting is simply clay, which has been artificially colored, and, as clay, becomes subject to the rules which govern all work of this kind, whether it is making pottery, modeling, or painting faience. ”

“ The peculiar beauty and translucency of fine porcelain, is due to an excess of silica, or the vitreous element of pottery, in its composition. This is attained by the use of kaolin, a fine, white clay, produced through the agency of natural causes in the decomposition of feldspar, which is itself a silicate of alumina, and one of the principal ingredients of granitic rocks. ”

“ I can not, however, assure those who wish to enter the domain of decorative art by this interesting road, that they will find the way strewn with roses. On the contrary, discouragements are likely to occur so frequently that it is only by the exercise of a considerable amount of patience and perseverance that any advance can be made. ”

“ Let us suppose that the artist wishes to paint a vase. A certain tint being selected for the ground, the color, or colors, which are to produce it are mixed in their relative proportions, according to the hints given above. A sufficient quantity should be prepared to paint the whole ground, especially if a mixed tint, which it would be difficult to reproduce in its exact proportions. ”

“ Some of the later Haviland faience, however, having a ground in the usual style of that ware [Pg 73] with decoration in high relief, colored with subdued tints, harmonizing with the grounds, is so artistically done that one can hardly think it open to this objection, although it can not be considered an improvement upon the earlier work of this establishment in which the colored decorations were simply painted upon the surface.
It is only to the use of colors which imitate those of nature upon modeled decorations that there could be any objection. ”

“ The powdered colors as procured are not perfectly pulverized, and must be well rubbed down with a muller and palette knife. It is even more necessary in this than in other kinds of painting upon pottery that the color should be well ground. If not rubbed down sufficiently before being mixed with the clay, particles of color which are scarcely apparent before firing, will show when the work is glazed, forming specks in what should be, a perfectly uniform tint. ”

“ The matters which enter into the composition of the fluxes and which cause the adherence of the metallic oxyds are quartz, feldspar, borax and boracic acid, nitre, the carbonates of potash and of soda, red lead and litharge, and oxyd of bismuth. At Sevres, they employ, for under-glaze painting, seven kinds of fluxes, which suffice for all the colors. The majority of these fluxes are composed of quartz, oxyd of red lead and of boracic acid, and to some is added a small quantity of carbonate of soda. ”

“ In art, as in all other pursuits, there is no royal road to excellence, and those who do not think it necessary to learn the rudiments before attempting the higher branches, will learn to their cost, if they are capable of learning any thing, that nothing was gained by leaving out these stepping stones in their progress. ”

“ The method of painting is simple and not likely to prove difficult or uncertain as to its results in the hands of one familiar with the use of water colors. The color generally used is dark blue, and there are several different blues which furnish very fine tints. Among these might be mentioned Emery’s cobalt blue, which is excellent and does very well upon the white ware manufactured here. Phillips’ mazarine blue and Harrison’s Persian blue are also very rich, deep colors, the latter having a purplish tint. ”

“ Red clay, being very susceptible to heat, is commonly used as a test in the firing of white ware. The same clay will change in the process from light red to dark brown, and so enable the experienced fireman to determine the degree of heat existing in the kiln. ”

“ In other departments of human handiwork, some natural capacity, as well as a certain amount of training, is considered necessary to successful practice, but, in art, such is the ignorance of the general public, any one is thought eligible to the profession of an artist, and much passes under the name of art, which has no claim to that honorable title. ”

“ It will require some little experience to enable the artist to judge how much will be needed, and, perhaps, it will be somewhat difficult for any one accustomed to painting in other methods, to realize the quantity of paint used in this. It is better to have too much mixed than too little, as it can be kept and used another time. ”

“ Care must be observed in this, however, that the application of clay is not so very slight as to produce complete transparency upon firing. By a judicious mixture of work in which the clay is so heavily laid on as to remain opaque after the firing, and of that which is applied so thinly as to become transparent, very delicate and beautiful effects can be produced by the use of white clay upon colored grounds. ”

“ I do not wish to discourage those who are willing to enter into this pursuit as humble, patient learners, but to warn those, who are eager to obtain at once the rewards only given to years of faithful study, of the futility of their desires. It is perhaps idle, however, to warn or to advise them. ”

“ When the piece decorated is thoroughly dry, it should be fired at a temperature sufficient to make the body durable, and at the same time to perfectly fix the colors of the painting, so that there may be no danger that the glaze will cause them to run in the final firing. ”

“ Sources of information upon these subjects, drawn from competent instruction, books and periodicals, are daily becoming more numerous and accessible, and one who desires to practice the kind of decorative art we are now considering, should cultivate his taste and augment his skill by these means, and especially by close study of nature in all its various forms. ”

“ Potters dip pieces of ware in colored slips, and the thickness of the covering thus formed is all sufficient. In the case of painting, however, it is impossible to lay the clay on as evenly, and there will be, in all probability, some places too thinly covered to stand the fire, but which would not be revealed before. ”