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POTTERY DECORATION 
 
 UNDER THE GLAZE. 
 
 BY 
 
 m. louise McLaughlin. 
 
 CINCINNATI : 
 
 ROBERT CLARKE & CO. 
 1SS0. 
 
COPYRIGHT. 
 
 M. LOUISE MCLAUGHLIN. 
 
 1880. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 T has been with some hesita- 
 tion that J have undertaken 
 to write a manual on the 
 decoration of pottery under 
 the glaze. This feeling was 
 
 caused by the fear that I should not be able 
 to treat the subject in as comprehensive, as well 
 as comprehensible, a manner as it deserved. 
 
 Nevertheless, in an experience of more than 
 two years, chiefly spent in experimenting on dif- 
 ferent 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. 
 
 (v) 
 
VI 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 Let it be understood, however, that in the 
 following pages there has been no attempt to 
 deal with the occult mysteries of the potter’s 
 art, but simply to give an account of results 
 attained and facts acquired, every one of which 
 can be vouched for as a record of actual experi- 
 ence. 
 
 I would like here to express my sense of in- 
 debtedness to the potters who have, by their 
 courtesy and attention, contributed to these re- 
 sults, and particularly to Mr. Joseph Bailey, 
 Sr., of the pottery of Mr. Frederick Dallas, 
 whose intelligent co-operation and valuable advice 
 have been of the greatest service. 
 
 Walnut Hills. 
 
 Cincinnati , May , 1880. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 HE decoration of pottery 
 under the glaze offers op- 
 portunity forthe production 
 of work, beautiful and ar- 
 tistic in a high degree, and 
 in its sim 
 
 to those who do not aspire 
 to the higher art, a most fascinating and labor-re- 
 warding study. 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, dis- 
 couragements 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. But such are the attract- 
 
 (vii) 
 
 pier forms gives 
 
Vlll 
 
 INTRO DUCTJ ON. 
 
 ions of the work that its enthusiastic votaries 
 will not be deterred from its prosecution by any 
 difficulties in the way, and if immediate and 
 perfect success can not be assured, an exceed- 
 ingly interesting occupation will be revealed to 
 the learner, and to the earnest worker can be 
 promised the reward of faithful labor. 
 
 I would like here to insist, however, upon the 
 necessity of a thorough and serious study of 
 drawing as a preparation for this as well as for 
 all decorative work, and to enter a most em- 
 phatic protest against the theory which seems to 
 prevail in some quarters, that any one can paint 
 upon pottery acceptably. With little prepara- 
 tion other than the possession of some colors, 
 brushes, clays, and pieces of pottery, the devotee 
 of art enters upon the work of decorating (?) 
 pottery. Alas ! disfiguring it, for it is a lament- 
 able fact that of the pottery now being painted 
 by amateurs (some of the work by professional 
 decorators might also be included) a very large 
 proportion has its value diminished rather than 
 enhanced by the work put upon it. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 IX 
 
 This would not be so frequently the case if 
 the scope of the work were limited to the capac- 
 ity of the worker. 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. 
 
 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. 
 
 I do not wish to discourage those who are 
 willing to enter into this pursuit as humble, pa- 
 tient 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. The consciousness of their folly will 
 
X 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 only come to them after experience, and knowl- 
 edge gained from failure, shall have given them 
 some comprehension of the difficulties which 
 their ignorance prevented them from seeing. 
 
 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 time is never misspent which is devoted 
 to honest, well-directed efforts in acquiring the 
 art of drawing. The excuse so often offered, 
 that the practice of the art is only intended as 
 an amusement, and that therefore it is unneces- 
 sary to undergo the drudgery of learning it 
 thoroughly, is one which is unworthy. To those 
 who offer it I would say, pray amuse yourselves 
 with something else rather than an art, into 
 which, to obtain even an insight, demands the 
 best that any one can give. 
 
 These remarks apply as well to the decoration 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 XI 
 
 of pottery as to any other department of art 
 work. Although from its peculiar nature and 
 various uses this material yields itself to many 
 and varied styles of decoration, yet this decora- 
 tion, however simple, must be planned and ex- 
 ecuted according to sound principles, to be of any 
 artistic value. The best preparation for the 
 work of decorating pottery, therefore, is a thor- 
 ough knowledge of drawing and an understand- 
 ing of the laws which govern all decorative art. 
 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 consid- 
 ering, should cultivate his taste and augment his 
 skill by these means, and especially by close 
 study of nature in all its various forms. It is 
 only in this way that the student will be enabled 
 to accomplish work which will be a source of 
 pleasure and profit to himself and others. 
 

 
 
POTTERY DECORATION UNDER THE GLAZE. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 POTTERY. 
 
 E will consider in this chap- 
 ter some facts in regard to 
 pottery, which, although of 
 a very elementary character, 
 are not so generally under- 
 stood as may be desirable. 
 These facts relate to the 
 substances of which pottery is composed, the 
 processes of its manufacture, and the methods 
 by which it is or can be decorated. 
 
 Two chemical substances, viz., silica and alu- 
 mina form the basis of all pottery clays. These 
 substances are themselves infusible (except un- 
 der the compound blow-pipe), but by admix- 
 
 (xiii) 
 
*4 
 
 POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 ture with other materials more susceptible to 
 the action of heat, they are made useful to the 
 potter’s art, and, when subjected to a high tem- 
 perature, fuse and form the hard, insoluable 
 combination with which we are all familiar. 
 
 Porcelain, and the finer kinds of earthen-ware, 
 are made from clays artificially combined of va- 
 rious natural elements, in such a manner as to 
 produce the qualities desired, while the coarser 
 wares are generally made from clays in a natural 
 or unmixed state. These clays agree in their 
 essential characteristics, but contain other ele- 
 ments which cause certain differences of color, 
 susceptibility to heat, plasticity, etc. The differ- 
 ences, therefore, which exist between the many 
 kinds of pottery manufactured, may be said to 
 be due, not so much to a diversity of the mate- 
 rials used, as to the changes produced by the 
 combination of the same materials in varying 
 proportions. 
 
 It is unnecessary that we should here enter 
 into the details of the mixture of different pot- 
 tery clays, for which each manufactory has its 
 
POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 l S 
 
 own formula. A few words, indicating, in a 
 general way, the causes of certain easily-recog- 
 nizable qualities, will suffice. 
 
 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 na- 
 tural causes in the decomposition of feldspar, 
 which is itself a silicate of alumina, and one of 
 the principal ingredients of granitic rocks. In 
 porcelain, it may be said, that the proportion 
 of silica to alumina is about three to one, and 
 the other ingredients, such as iron, potash, chalk, 
 and soda, exist only in such quantities as are 
 necessary to cause the fusion of the two first- 
 mentioned elements. It is fired but slightly the 
 first time. This leaves the body of the ware 
 very soft and porous, and upon the application 
 of the glaze the latter is absorbed into the body, 
 and by its action upon the materials composing 
 it, produces a translucent effect. 
 
 We refer, here, to French porcelain. In the 
 
POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 I 6 
 
 manufacture of English china, the process is 
 
 radically different. The last-mentioned ware is 
 
 ✓ 
 
 sometime spoken of as “bone china.” This 
 term has reference to the use of bones from 
 which the lime required in its manufacture is ob- 
 tained. This element produces a translucent 
 quality in the body cf the ware independently 
 of the action of the glaze, which in this case 
 forms merely a coating upon the surface of the 
 previously hard baked body. 
 
 Earthenware possesses less of the vitreous 
 element, and the first firing is continued until 
 the ware becomes so dense that it will not ab- 
 sorb the glaze, and the body remains opaque. 
 
 The term pottery, is more strictly applicable 
 to the kind of ware last mentioned. It is to 
 this that especial reference will be made in 
 the following pages, in describing methods of 
 manufacture and decoration. 
 
 Earthenware is of various colors, ranging 
 from pure white, through the cream white 
 and cream-colored wares to decided yellow, and 
 lastly red. The clays can also be artificially 
 colored, and changes in color are also pro- 
 
POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 *7 
 
 duced by different degrees of temperature in 
 firing. Ordinarily the process of firing pro- 
 duces a material change in the color of clay. 
 Thus, a grey-tinted clay will assume a bright, 
 yellow color, and a dull brown, green, or blue 
 will be changed to a bright brick-red, under the 
 action of the fire. 
 
 The heat used in firing should produce partial 
 vitrification. If a piece of ware has not been 
 fired sufficiently to produce that effect, it is said 
 to be “ soft-baked.” 
 
 White earthenware requires the greatest degree 
 of heat in firing. In regard to the wares made 
 from* clays retaining the colors produced by the 
 elements which they contain, in a natural state, 
 it may be said that the amount of heat neces- 
 sary for proper firing, decreases with the 
 depth of color. This rule, although it may 
 accurately indicate the temperature at which any 
 given clay should be fired, is simply artificial, 
 except in so far as the depth of color shows the 
 presence of an amount of foreign matter, which 
 by its action increases the fusibility of the clay. 
 
i8 
 
 POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 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. 
 
 Clays should be prepared for the making of 
 pottery by careful sifting, dissolving in water, 
 and, as a final precaution, straining through sieves 
 made of fine, silk lawn. In this way all foreign 
 particles are removed, and the clay, having at- 
 tained the consistency of dough, is ready to be 
 molded into the shapes desired. This is done 
 iin molds made of plaster of paris, or it is 
 thrown ” by the hands of the potter on a turn- 
 ing-wheel, or, again, by a combination of these 
 processes. 
 
 Before firing, the ware is said to be in the 
 cc green state/’ in which condition it passes from 
 “ wet ” to ct hard green,” and finally to tc white / 1 
 when it is ready to be fired. If fired before 
 it has become sufficiently dry, it will be liable 
 to crack, or scale, from the sudden expan- 
 
POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 T 9 
 
 sion of the moisture confined in the clay. When 
 dry, it is placed in c< seggars,” or boxes, made 
 of fire-clay, which are piled upon each other 
 in a kiln, constructed for the purpose of firing 
 the ware. 
 
 D uring the process of drying and firing, the 
 clay loses a certain portion of its bulk. The 
 amount of this shrinkage varies in different 
 clays, but ordinarily may be said to be about one- 
 eighth. A piece of ware, therefore, made from 
 clay which exhibits this degree of shrinkage, 
 would be one-eighth smaller after firing than be- 
 fore. The shrinkage is also modified by the 
 degree of heat to which the clay has been sub- 
 jected in firing, and there will sometimes be a 
 perceptible difference in the size of two pieces 
 of ware, made from the same clay, and of equal 
 size before firing, after having been fired at dif- 
 ferent temperatures. 
 
 The length of time consumed in firing, varies 
 with the qualities of the different wares. In the 
 manufacture of white earthenware, the firing lasts 
 from thirty to forty hours, while the more com- 
 
20 
 
 POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 mon kinds of ware require less time. In kilns 
 of ordinary size, a thousand dozen pieces of ware 
 are frequently fired at once. Of course, consid- 
 erable time is required to place the seggars con- 
 taining the ware in the kiln. Some hours must 
 elapse before the kiln and its contents will be- 
 come cool enough to permit its being opened 
 with safety, so that the firing of hard-baked 
 pottery may require two or three days for its 
 completion. 
 
 The first firing completed, the ware is said to 
 be in the u biscuit/’ and is then ready to be 
 glazed. This matter of glazing is a very im- 
 portant one, and the success of the whole very 
 largely depends upon the manner in which the 
 operation is performed. To insure a successful 
 result there must be the nicest adaptation of the 
 materials composing the glaze to the body of the 
 ware. The glaze for each kind of ware must be 
 suited to its especial characteristics, and it can 
 therefore be imagined that the number of glazes 
 in use is very large. Each pottery has its own 
 glaze and the variety is infinite. 
 
POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 2 I 
 
 The glaze used upon the finer kinds of earth- 
 enware consists of materials similar to those of 
 which the body of the ware is made, with the 
 addition of boracic acid (a powerful flux), which 
 with a little lead renders the glaze fusible. 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 tem- 
 perature 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, how- 
 ever, so hard, that the point of the sharpest 
 knife will make no impression on its surface. 
 
 The materials of which the glaze is made, are 
 combined in the proper proportions and diluted to 
 form a liquid of about the consistency and the 
 appearance of cream. The piece of ware is then 
 dipped carefully into the liquid, and so skillfully 
 manipulated that it is completely covered with 
 
22 
 
 POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 a coating of the glaze of the necessary thick- 
 ness. 
 
 After having been covered with the glaze, 
 which, before firing, has the appearance of an 
 opaque white paint, the ware is ready for the 
 second firing. This is done in what is called the 
 “ gloss ” kiln, in which the heat is not brought 
 to such a high degree as in the biscuit kiln, but 
 is sufficient to fuse the glaze, and cause it to 
 form a glassy, transparent surface, which should 
 completely cover the body of the ware, and pre* 
 sent an equally brilliant appearance in every part. 
 
 If the glaze is not suited to the body of the 
 ware, and does not shrink equally with it, its 
 surface will soon present a network of fine 
 cracks. A glaze in this condition is said to be 
 <l crazed.” This, among potters, is considered 
 a serious fault, and in ware intended for cooking 
 or table use, is certainly very undesirable. 
 
 Old Japanese crackle-ware, in which this con- 
 dition is a distinguishing feature, is, however, 
 much esteemed, and many, indeed, the majority 
 of the Japanese earthernwares, both ancient and 
 
POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 2 3 
 
 modern, display a surface of fine-crackled glaze, 
 which may not be said to detract from their value 
 as articles of ornament. 
 
 A similar effect is also seen in old pieces of 
 glazed ware which have seen long service as 
 cooking utensils, in which case it has been the 
 natural result of the usage to which they have 
 been subjected. 
 
 In some modern wares, both French and Eng- 
 lish, decorated under the glaze, this defect is 
 seen. In these cases it has been caused by the 
 use of a softer glaze than the body of the ware 
 demanded. This expedient has been resorted 
 to in order that the brilliancy and beauty of the 
 colors might be preserved. These articles being 
 intended only for ornament, beauty is more of an 
 object than durability, and this defect of glaze 
 may be permissible as the means of obtaining 
 more brilliant effects. In certain methods of 
 decoration this may be a necessity, but these 
 cases are exceptional and experience leads me to 
 believe that it is possible to obtain beauty of col- 
 oring with a glaze which will remain intact. It 
 
24 
 
 POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 is to be hoped, however, that with the improve- 
 ments in making colors the time may come when 
 it will be possible to obtain colors which will re- 
 tain their beauty under the degree of heat neces- 
 sary to the production of an article which a 
 practical potter would call a perfect piece of 
 ware. 
 
 Pottery can be decorated either under the glaze, 
 with the glaze, as in the case of majolica, in which 
 the color is effected by the use of colored glazes 
 and in the decoration of soft porcelain ( 'pate - 
 tendre ), where the painting is executed upon the 
 unbaked glaze, and, lastly, over the glaze. 
 We will concern ourselves only with the first 
 of these methods. A few words, however, may 
 not be out of place here, upon the differences 
 between over and under glaze painting, which 
 are frequently compared and as frequently mis- 
 taken for each other. 
 
 Over-glaze painting, as is well known, is execu- 
 ted upon the glazed surface of the finished ware 
 with verifiable colors having enough flux or fusi- 
 ble material in their composition to cause them to 
 
POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 *5 
 
 fuse at a comparatively low temperature, and so 
 become attached to the glaze. Under - glaze deco- 
 ration is effected by the use of colors which con- 
 tain less flux, and consequently require a higher 
 temperature for their fusion. It can be executed 
 either upon the ware in the cc green” state, or, 
 as is more commonly the case, in the biscuit. 
 These two methods of painting differ materially 
 in their effects. Any one familiar with these 
 effects can readily discover whether a piece of 
 pottery has been decorated over or under the 
 glaze. Those who are not practically conversant 
 with the two methods can be easily misled, and 
 mistakes are frequently made by those who 
 should know better, as to the method employed 
 in the case of a piece of ware in question. 
 
 A certain delicacy of tint and firmness of 
 outline characterizes overglaze painting, which is 
 easily recognized by experts, but those who can 
 not distinguish between the two methods by this 
 means may ascertain to which class the deco- 
 ration belongs by looking aslant the surface. 
 The glaze upon the painted portions of a piece 
 
26 
 
 POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 of ware decorated over the glaze, will not, even 
 after the most perfect firing, equal the glaze upon 
 the uncovered portions in brilliancy, and there 
 will probably be certain inequalities of surface 
 between the painted and unpainted parts which 
 will be revealed to the touch. 
 
 If the decoration has been executed under the 
 glaze the surface will be uniformly covered with 
 a brilliant glaze. Of the two, underglaze paint- 
 ing is probably the most difficult, as the colors 
 are more liable to change under the action of the 
 great heat to which the ware must be subjected, 
 and the final results being, therefore, somewhat 
 uncertain, can not be accurately counted upon, 
 until experience has been gained from repeated 
 failures. 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 prac- 
 tice of overglaze painting are greater than those 
 afforded for painting under the glaze, which last, 
 requires not only the handling of an artist who 
 
POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 27 
 
 has acquired facile use of the brush and some ex- 
 perience of pottery clays and colors, but also the 
 assistance of an intelligent and skillful potter. 
 
 Let us not, however, laud one method of 
 painting at the expense of the other. Both are 
 good in their way, and confined within their 
 proper limits, have beauties peculiarly their own. 
 Overglaze painting possesses a delicacy of effect 
 and a variety of color which the underglaze deco- 
 ration can not rival. The latter is, however, the 
 most artistic as well as the most effective, and 
 lends itself more readily to the uses of decora- 
 tive art and to the modern taste in color. 
 
 It is this latter method of decorating pottery 
 which we will now consider in some of its various 
 forms. 
 
28 
 
 POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 COLORS FOR PAINTING UNDER THE GLAZE. 
 
 OLORS for painting 
 under the glaze are spe- 
 cially prepared for the 
 purpose from various 
 metallic oxyds. As 
 mentioned in the pre- 
 vious chapter, the col- 
 ors used under the 
 glaze have less flux or fusible matter in their com- 
 position than those used for painting overglaze: 
 this is necessary, because in the former the colors 
 are expected to bear a much greater degree of heat 
 in firing than in the latter. They are so prepared 
 as not to fuse except at the temperature required 
 in the manufacture of the pottery to which they 
 are applied. The variety of underglaze colors is 
 less than that to be found in overglaze colors, as 
 
COLORS FOR PAINTING UNDER GLAZE. 2 () 
 
 the oxyds from which colors may be made which 
 will stand so great a degree of heat, are few in 
 number. 
 
 The oxyds from which the colors are prepared 
 are called the bases of these colors. The colors 
 used in underglaze painting are made from the 
 following bases : 
 
 Blue from the oxyd of cobalt. Co. O. 
 
 Green from the sesquioxyd of chromium. 
 Cr 2 . O 3 . 
 
 Browns from the sesquioxyd commonly called 
 the peroxyd of iron, Fe 2 . O 3 ., and from the ses- 
 quioxyd of manganese. Mn 2 . O 3 . 
 
 Yellow from the compound of titanium with 
 oxygen, called titanic acid. Ti. O 2 . 
 
 Black from the oxyd of uranium. 
 
 Red from the suboxyd, or red oxyd of copper. 
 Cu 2 . O. 
 
 We may add, upon the authority of M. De- 
 bette, that c< pure black is obtained by taking i 
 part of oxyd of uranium diluted in 22 parts of 
 glaze; ordinary black with oxyd of manganese 
 or oxyd of iridium ; bluish black with a mixture 
 
30 
 
 POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 of oxyd of cobalt and of manganese, and smoky- 
 grey with chloride of platinum. Rose is ob- 
 tained by diluting, in glaze, gold which has 
 been dissolved in aqua regia. For the blues, 
 oxyd of zinc and alumina may be mixed with the 
 oxyd of cobalt. For greens may be mixed oxyd 
 of cobalt and oxyd of chromium.” 
 
 The fluxes used for these bases are given in 
 the following paragraphs, translated from the 
 Ency elope die-Roret : 
 
 “ The matters which enter into the composi- 
 tion 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 suf- 
 fice 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. 
 
 “ The seven fluxes of Sevres are, first, the 
 flint flux, which is prepared by melting quickly 
 
COLORS FOR PAINTING UNDER GLAZE. 31 
 
 in a crucible and then flowing upon a metallic 
 plate a mixture of 3 parts of red lead or of 
 litharge, and 1 part of Etampes sand. 
 
 “Second. The flux of greys prepared with 6 
 parts of red lead or litharge, 2 parts of Etampes 
 sand, and 1 part of pulverized borax. 
 
 “Third. The flux of carmines is made of 1 
 part red lead, 3 parts of Etampes sand, and 5 
 parts of pulverized borax. 
 
 “ Fourth. The flux of purple is made with 3 
 parts of red lead or of litharge, 1 part of Etampes 
 sand, and 5 parts of crystallized boracic acid. 
 
 “ Fifth. The flux of violets is made of 27 parts 
 of litharge or red lead, 2 parts of Etampes sand, 
 and 1 1 parts of crystallized boracic acid. 
 
 “ Sixth. The flux of greens employed, as well 
 as the two preceding M. Salvetat, was prepared 
 by him with 8 1-9 parts of red lead or litharge, 
 1 part of Etampes sand, and 2 parts of crys- 
 tallized boracic acid. 
 
 “Seventh. Last the flux of the metallic sub- 
 stances, which is of sub-nitrate of bismuth, ob- 
 tained by decomposing in water the nitrate of 
 
POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 3 2 
 
 the acid of bismuth, to which is added 1-12 of 
 borax.” 
 
 These fluxes are mixed with the basic oxvds in 
 greater or less proportion, according as the col- 
 ors are intended for work, which will require a 
 greater or less degree of heat in firing. 
 
 Underglaze colors in powder suitable for paint- 
 ing on pottery, can be procured of several differ- 
 ent manufactures. As mentioned before, the 
 variety of these colors is not so great as is to be 
 found in overglaze colors, but as they can be 
 readily mixed the number is sufficient for all 
 practical purposes. 
 
 In my own work 1 have made almost exclu- 
 sive use of French colors, those manufactured by 
 M. Lacroix. These colors are finely ground and 
 of considerable variety of tint. A list of those 
 which have been tried and found to give satis- 
 factory results, may be given here : 
 
 Blues — Bleu de Roi (King’s blue). 
 
 Bleu violace (violet blue). 
 
 Light blue — Bleu myosotis (Forget-me-not 
 blue). 
 
COLORS FOR PAINTING UNDER GLAZE. 33 
 
 Reds — Rouge T. (Red T.) and Rouge P , W\ 
 
 Carmine — Rose (or Pink ). 
 
 Greens — Vert fonce , No. i (dark green). 
 
 Vert tendre (light green). 
 
 Black — Noir. 
 
 Browns — Brun fonce (dark brown). 
 
 Brim No. 5 (Brown No. 5). 
 
 Brun jaune (yellow brown). 
 
 Yellow — Jaune fonce (dark yellow). 
 
 Grey — - Gris clair (light grey). 
 
 There are many others, but these are men- 
 tioned as among those that have been tried and 
 found to fire well, and the colors given in this 
 list will be sufficient for the production of all the 
 tints needed in underglaze painting. In faience 
 painted after the Haviland method, fine white 
 clay takes the place of white. 
 
 In painting on the biscuit white paint is some- 
 times used. This can be procured of English 
 manufacture, but is not, I believe, made by M. 
 Lacroix. The colors manufactured by Messrs. 
 Hancock & Sons, Worcester, England, are also 
 
34 
 
 POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 very satisfactory. The tints of these and the 
 colors of other English manufacturers corres- 
 ponds with those of M. Lacroix, which have 
 been mentioned. The latter manufacturer, how- 
 ever, furnishes a much greater variety of colors, 
 and the reds especially are superior to any Eng- 
 lish reds I have seen. M. Lacroix’s list includes 
 at least three reds, one of which, Rouge T can 
 be relied upon to produce as good a scarlet as is 
 possible under the glaze, when used under the 
 proper conditions. The English carmines are 
 very satisfactory. The English green, called 
 French green, corresponds in tint to that of M. 
 Lacroix, called Vert fonce , No. i, while mazarine 
 blue, of the Worcester and Phillips manufac- 
 tures, and Cobalt blue of others corresponds to 
 the Bleu de Roi of the French, and for work on 
 biscuit white ware stands the fire rather better. 
 The Victoria green, of the Worcester colors, is 
 especially to be commended for a light green 
 which stands the fire remarkably well. 
 
 Phillips’ English colors are also very good. 
 
COLORS FOR PAINTING UNDER GLAZE. 35 
 
 H is mazarine blue, especially, is one of the finest 
 blues I have ever met with. Emery’s and Har- 
 rison’s colors fire very well, but are not so finely 
 ground as the first mentioned. 
 
POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 36 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 PAINTING ON POTTERY AFTER THE MANNER OF 
 THE IIAVILAND OR LIMOGES FAIENCE, 
 
 HIS method of painting on 
 pottery is said to have 
 been discovered by M. 
 Laurin, at Bourg-la-reine , 
 in the year 1873. The 
 process was afterward 
 adopted by M. Haviland, 
 and by him improved in such manner as to mate^ 
 rially change the. method, as well as the appear- 
 ance of the painting. Specimens of the ware 
 were first exhibited at the Centennial Exhibition, 
 in Philadelphia, in 1876. The first application 
 of a similar style in the decoration of pottery, in 
 this country, was made by the writer in Cincin- 
 nati, in October, 1877 . 
 
PAINTING ON POTTERY. 
 
 37 
 
 This method of decorating pottery, although 
 not involving the use of any new principle, was 
 yet so entirely novel an application of principles 
 already in use, as to entitle M. Laurin to all the 
 credit attaching to a very original and important 
 discovery. It places in the hands of the painter 
 of pottery a method at once so artistic, and so 
 thoroughly in accord with the modern school, as 
 to awaken a profound interest in the minds of 
 all lovers of art. It is probable that there are 
 capabilities in this art that have not yet been 
 brought out. It is still in its infancy, and that 
 there are in it possibilities of much importance 
 to the artistic world, can hardly be doubted. 
 
 If it were not for the technical difficulties which 
 surround all work on pottery, and this style in 
 particular, it would offer facilities for the pro- 
 duction of works of art unequaled by any 
 method heretofore in use. It is the hope of 
 the writer that the following description of the 
 method of decorating pottery, in this manner, 
 may throw some light upon these technical diffi- 
 culties, and also that artists of ability may be in- 
 
38 
 
 POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 duced to try it, and so demonstrate the capabil- 
 ity it undoubtedly possesses. 
 
 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 cer- 
 tain amount of skill at the command of the 
 painter, just as the same degree of skill is re- 
 quisite in the production of a good picture by 
 any other method. There is a certain boldness 
 of effect produced by the very nature of the 
 materials and process, which probably would 
 not be seen in the work of the same person in 
 other methods, yet the lack of artistic feeling and 
 ability will be as painfully apparent in this as in 
 any other. 
 
 Colors may be daubed upon pottery, as they 
 are, alas! upon canvas, by those whose training 
 and whose feeling for art would hardly fit them 
 to become good house painters ; but the result 
 will not be good art, nor will it ever be its own 
 
PAINTING ON POTTERY. 
 
 39 
 
 excuse for being. If other branches of decora- 
 tive art require taste, knowledge, and practical 
 skill, so much the more does this, when it offers 
 scope for the highest capacity. 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 un- 
 limited scale of colors, each of which is en- 
 hanced 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 rav- 
 ages of time, short of the destruction of the 
 piece of ware itself, can affect it. In decorations 
 for buildings, or for ordinary use in portraiture, 
 or the higher forms of art, it offers, what has 
 long been desired among artists and art lovers, a 
 method of making works of art indestructible 
 and beyond the possibility of change. 
 
 The ware known among dealers under the 
 name of “ barbotine,” has some resemblance to 
 that which we have been considering. It has a 
 light body, which has been subjected to a very 
 
4 o 
 
 POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 slight fire, and is covered with a soft glaze, 
 which ensures great brilliancy of coloring. The 
 ware, however, has no durability, and is a sub- 
 stance that would not stand the action of the 
 elements, if used in external decoration. 
 
METHOD OF PAINTING FAIENCE. 
 
 4 I 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 METHOD OF PAINTING FAIENCE UNDER THE GLAZE 
 WITH THE USE OF BODY COLOR. 
 
 HE method of decorating 
 
 O 
 
 pottery here described is 
 similar in its effects to 
 what is known as the 
 Haviland, or Limoges fai- 
 ence, and is given as the 
 result of numerous exper- 
 iments made by the writer. 
 
 The finished work presents the appearance of 
 a painting in oil, to which a brilliant glaze has 
 been applied. This glaze not only renders the 
 colors unchangeable, but gives a beauty and 
 effectiveness which could be acquired in no other 
 way. There is nothing peculiar in regard to 
 this glaze, however, the only requisite being that 
 
42 
 
 POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 it should be suited to the body of the ware, and 
 that the latter and its glaze must not require so 
 great a degree of heat in firing that the colors 
 shall be injured. This matter of the glaze has 
 been almost uniformly misrepresented in ac- 
 counts of the ware which have been published. 
 It has been said that the peculiar effect of the 
 work was due to the glaze, and that the secret 
 of making it was not generally known. This is 
 not at all true, as the results are due solely to the 
 peculiar method of painting, and the glaze is 
 simply the process by which it is finished, and 
 bears the same relation to it as the varnish does 
 to the painting in oil. The work will suffer, of 
 course, if this part of it is not well performed; 
 but the distinguishing feature of the method 
 consists not in the glaze, but in the use of clay, 
 which is mixed with coloring oxides, capable of 
 bearing a high degree of heat in firing, and which 
 gives them body, producing a thick impasto in 
 the painting. The work partakes, therefore, 
 both of the nature of painting and modeling, as 
 
METHOD OF PAINTING FAIENCE. 
 
 43 
 
 the high lights may be laid in so thickly as to 
 produce an actual relief. 
 
 It is somewhat difficult, indeed, almost impos- 
 sible, to give a correct idea of the palettes to be 
 used in this kind of painting. If colors could be 
 procured, already prepared for use, as oil paints 
 are, and these colors had the same appearance after 
 firing as before, it would be comparatively an easy 
 task. As it is, the colors must be mixed with 
 clays in certain proportions, and, on account of 
 the change produced by firing, the proportions 
 necessary to produce the intensity of color desired, 
 can only be determined from experience. The 
 result, after the work is finished, differs from its 
 appearance before firing to a greater extent than 
 in any other kind of decoration upon pottery. 
 As a rule, it may be said that the colors are in- 
 tensified by firing. This is also true of other 
 kinds of under-glaze painting, but not in so 
 great a degree as in the case in question. The 
 harmonies and contrasts of color can be kept 
 only in the mind of the artist, and every part 
 of the work must be done with a view to the 
 
44 
 
 POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 result when finished, which, as has been said, will 
 differ materially from its appearance during the 
 progress of the painting. Experience only, can 
 give an accurate idea of these changes. This, 
 however, is not an insurmountable difficulty ; 
 care and patience added to the requisite artistic 
 ability, will soon lead to satisfactory results. 
 
 Before describing the method of painting, it 
 may be well to consider the kind of clay of 
 which the body of the ware should be made, and 
 the state in which the painting should be ap- 
 plied. As to the clay forming the body of the 
 ware, it must be of such a nature as to adapt it- 
 self to a glaze sufficiently soft to perserve the 
 colors. As the clay used in the painting must, 
 of necessity, in most cases, be white, in order 
 that the purity and beauty of the colors may not 
 be affected by admixture with it, a body of the 
 same, or very nearly resembling it, would, in 
 some respects, be the best, one reason for this 
 being that the applied clay would be more cer- 
 tain to adhere firmly to the body, both having the 
 same qualities. The proper glaze for such a 
 
METHOD OF PAINTING FAIENCE. 
 
 45 
 
 body would, however, require too great a degree 
 of heat in the firing, and none but the strongest 
 colors could bear it without injury. 
 
 In order, therefore, that the glaze may be per- 
 fectly adapted to the body of the ware, and yet 
 require no greater degree of heat than the colors 
 used in the painting will bear, it is best to 
 use a body formed from materials which do not 
 need to be fired at a very high temperature. 
 This desired quality is found in some of the 
 natural colored clays. A mixture partaking of 
 the qualities of both yellow and red clay, with- 
 out the unpleasant color of the former, and pos- 
 sessing greater strength than the latter, has been 
 found to be the best. 
 
 THE STATE OF THE WARE IN WHICH THE PAINT- 
 ING SHOULD BE APPLIED. 
 
 For this method of decoration the ware 
 should be in the <c green” state. The more 
 moisture it contains the better, and it will be in 
 proper condition if procured as soon as it leaves 
 the hands of the molder, or as soon as it has be- 
 
4 6 
 
 POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 come sufficiently dry to retain its shape. Pieces 
 can be kept in this state a considerable length 
 of time, by placing them in a box which has 
 been lined with plaster of paris. This lining 
 should be about an inch thick, and if the inside 
 is occasionally sprinkled with water, it will re- 
 main moist, and keep the clay in good condi- 
 tion. A box of this kind is really invaluable 
 for all work, where it is necessary to keep clay 
 moist. Within certain limits the clay is im- 
 proved rather than injured by keeping in this 
 way; the effect upon it being that it becomes 
 tougher and more plastic. If kept too long, it 
 becomes “rotten,” and the plastic quality is 
 lost, but it will keep a reasonable length of time, 
 even two or three months. If the box can not 
 be had, the pieces may be covered by a rub- 
 ber cloth, which should be kept from touching 
 them by a frame of wood or galvanized iron 
 wire, damp cloths having been placed around 
 them to produce sufficient moisture. 
 
 It is necessary to exercise this care in keeping 
 the ware moist, in order to prevent the clay, 
 
METHOD OF PAINTING FAIENCE. 
 
 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 paint- 
 ing faience. 
 
 To produce depth and richness of effect, the 
 painting should have a heavy impasto , and the 
 high lights should be laid on in such a manner 
 as almost to present the appearance of modeling 
 in relief. When this is done, there is a tendency 
 in the applied clay to crack in drying, if the con- 
 ditions are not right. In applying one piece of 
 clay to another, it is requisite that both should 
 be of the same consistency, to ensure equal con- 
 traction. In this case, however, the clay is used 
 as paint, and must be of such consistency as 
 will permit its manipulation with the brush. Its 
 application, then, ^o a body of clay that has lost 
 much of its moisture, is attended with some 
 risk, and the fact that the coating of clay is com- 
 
4 8 
 
 POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 paratively thin, alone renders it possible to defy 
 one of the conditions which govern the use of this 
 material. When the piece of ware, upon which 
 this painting is applied, has previously become 
 too dry, the moisture in the coating of clay is 
 very quickly absorbed into the body, and this 
 causes it to shrink unequally with the body, and 
 thus to crack. When the body and the applied 
 clay are more nearly in the same condition, and 
 the former still retains considerable moisture, it 
 does not absorb that of the clayon the surface so 
 rapidly, and they shrink and dry together. 
 
 The drying of the clay used in painting can, 
 however, be retarded by the use of gum traga- 
 canth, which may be mixed with it. It would, 
 perhaps, be better always to take the precaution 
 to use this medium, although when, as remarked 
 before, the body of the ware is still quite soft, 
 and the condition of the atmosphere such as to 
 prevent too rapid drying, the painting may be 
 executed simply with the use of water. 
 
 Just here a caution as to the use of gum trag- 
 acanth may be given, and that is, that it is better 
 
METHOD OF PAINTING FAIENCE. 
 
 49 
 
 not to mix the gum with more of the colored 
 clay prepared for painting than is to be used at 
 once. When mixed only with water, the clay 
 after becoming dry, can be easily rubbed down 
 again with water ; but if gum tragacanth has been 
 used in the mixture, and it has been allowed to 
 dry upon the palette, the gum will not re-dissolve 
 readily under the action of water and the palette 
 knife, and the mixture will be full of small par- 
 ticles of undissolved gum, which will render it 
 unpleasant to work with. To prepare gum trag- 
 acanth for use, it is dissolved in water, to which 
 may be added a drop of salycilic acid to keep it 
 from turning sour. 
 
 The clay, which is to form a body for the 
 colors, must be dissolved in water until of a 
 proper consistency for painting. It should be a 
 little thicker than the diluted clay used by pot- 
 ters and technically called <c slip.” As to the 
 quality of the clay, the desideratum is that it 
 shall be colorless and not inclined to crack in 
 drying. The clay used in the manufacture of 
 white granite ware is probably the best clay for 
 
5 ° 
 
 POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 this purpose, generally accessible. This can 
 be mixed with all the colors without injury 
 to the tint of any. Parian clay produces the 
 most beautiful effects, and, where it is possible 
 to procure it, forms the best medium for 
 this painting. More care must, however, be 
 exercised in its use, as it is very liable to crack 
 in drying, and from the translucency produced 
 in the body by the action of the fire, must be 
 laid on more thickly than clays which have 
 greater opacity, to produce the effect desired. 
 
 In the case of yellow, which does not always 
 stand the fire well, it is best to mix the color 
 with a yellow-tinted clay to ensure a successful 
 result. C. C. clay, which is a cream-tinted 
 white, will effect this. If a darker yellow is de- 
 sired, clay which in firing acquires a decided yel- 
 low-tint may be used. 
 
 A light cream-tinted clay, such as C. C., or 
 “stilt” clay, may be used with yellows therefore, 
 with advantage, with browns and blues without 
 disagreeable effects ; but in the case of scarlet, 
 pink, or crimson and greens, nothing but 
 
METHOD OF PAINTING FAIENCE. 5J 
 
 white clay must be used, if purity of tint is de- 
 sired. The reason for this is that the presence 
 of iron in the yellow-tinted clays injures the 
 colors mentioned. 
 
 The clay can be procured from the pottery in 
 broken pieces, or, better, in a semi-pulverized 
 state from the trimming in making the wares. 
 When in this state it is easy at any time to dis- 
 solve enough for use. It is, perhaps, better to 
 prepare it just before it is to be used, as the 
 longer clay stands, after it has been mixed with 
 water, the more compact it becomes. When it 
 has just been dissolved, it still retains air among 
 its particles, and this renders the mixture more 
 porous and less liable to crack. It soon dissolves 
 in water and can be stirred until smooth. It 
 may be strained through a sponge, alternately 
 allowing the sponge to absorb the diluted clay 
 and then squeezing it. Probably the most con- 
 venient way is to rub the clay in a mortar until 
 all the lumps are dissolved. If a very small 
 quantity only is needed it may be rubbed down 
 
5 2 
 
 POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 upon the palette with the palette knife as it is 
 wanted. 
 
 A palette or a slab of glass may be used for 
 mixing the colors and clay. The latter is the 
 best, as it can be procured of large size, and as 
 in this kind of work a considerable quantity of 
 paint is necessary, there should be ample room 
 to mix the colors. A slab of French plate glass, 
 at least twenty by twenty-four inches, may be 
 procured This can be imbedded in plaster of 
 paris, which will make it stronger, as well as fur- 
 nish a white surface upon which the colors will 
 show to better advantage. 
 
 The powdered colors as procured are not per- 
 fectly 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 paint- 
 ing 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. If the color 
 
METHOD OF PAINTING FAIENCE. 
 
 53 
 
 is mixed with the clay before it has been perfectly 
 dissolved, it will not afterward be possible by 
 any rubbing down to remove the specks from the 
 mixture. 
 
 . The colors, after being thoroughly ground, 
 can be mixed with clay in such proportions as 
 may be desired. 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 pos- 
 sible to do it with judgment and certainty of 
 result, to mix the various tints in water w T ith 
 clay, in quantities, and then allow them to dry. 
 When dry, they can be pulverized and the col- 
 ored 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 only, however, after consider- 
 able experience in mixing colors, and verifying 
 their results, that this can be safely done. 
 
 As in other kinds of underglaze painting, it 
 may be given as a general rule, that the colors 
 
54 
 
 POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 are intensified in firing, in this, however, much 
 more than in other methods. 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 mix- 
 ture should then be applied very thickly. The 
 painter must also bear in mind the fact that the 
 stronger color will overpower the weaker in mix- 
 tures, even when the latter is in such degree as 
 to give the color to the mixture before firing. 
 After firing, the stronger color will appear in ex- 
 cess. In making such mixtures, therefore, the 
 stronger color should be used very sparingly, if 
 it is desired that the other should predominate 
 in the tint when fired. Otherwise, the colors 
 
METHOD OF PAINTING FAIENCE. 
 
 55 
 
 may be found after firing to be entirely different 
 from what was intended. 
 
 METHOD OF PAINTING. 
 
 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 pro- 
 duce it are mixed in their relative proportions, 
 according to the hints given above. A suffic- 
 ient 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. It will require some little experi- 
 ence 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. 
 
 The color, or colors, for the ground having 
 been rubbed down until perfectly smooth, as 
 directed before, may be mixed with more or less 
 
5 6 
 
 POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 clay, according to the shade of color desired. 
 The first tint may be made to represent the 
 darkest shade in the ground, and a comparatively 
 small amount of clay should be used. After the 
 color has been mixed with the clay, it can be 
 placed on one side of the palette. By taking 
 portions from it and adding more clay, other 
 shades of the same color may be made. First, 
 a light tint may be prepared for the first coat 
 upon the vase. 
 
 Before commencing to lay on the ground, it is 
 well to wash the surface of the vase with a thin so- 
 lution of glaze (such as is used for finishing the 
 ware), or with borax water. This is to ensure the 
 adhesion of the clay, of which the painting is to 
 consist, to the clay of which the vase is made. 
 Previous to this, the vase, if not already in good 
 condition, should be washed over with a brush, 
 or with a sponge dipped in water, or sprinkled 
 until it has absorbed water enough to keep the 
 clay, which is to be applied to its surface, from 
 drying too quickly. 
 
 A broad, flat camel’s-hair brush may then be 
 
METHOD OF PAINTING FAIENCE. 
 
 57 
 
 charged with the light tint, and the surface of the 
 vase covered with it as evenly as possible, and so 
 thickly as to completely obscure the body. This 
 done, another tint, darker than the first, in a de- 
 gree sufficient to permit their being distin- 
 guished from each other, may be mixed. This 
 will form the middle tint of the ground, and is 
 to be laid on over the first. The reason for 
 applying two coats is, that, although it might 
 be possible to paint one with the degree of 
 thickness necessary to prevent the shrinkage of 
 the applied clay in the firing, from revealing the 
 body of the vase, still the beginner is very likely 
 to be deceived as to the thickness of the impasto , 
 judging by the eye alone. Potters dip pieces 
 of ware in colored slips, and the thicknesss 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. It is better, therefore, to 
 apply two coats, so that one may cover up 
 
53 
 
 POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 the deficiencies of the other. The reason for 
 having these two coats of different tints is, that 
 it is then possible to be assured that the surface 
 is covered completely, it being easy to distin- 
 guish the first tint laid from the body of the 
 vase, and in the second painting, to observe that 
 it entirely covers the first. 
 
 The second coat finished, a lighter tint should 
 be mixed, with which the ground is varied by 
 touches here and there, making the highest 
 light of the ground, while touches of the first 
 tint mixed, give the darker shades. There 
 should be difference enough in tone between the 
 middle tints of the ground, and these lighter and 
 darker tints, to produce a good effect of light 
 and shade, and these touches should be laid on 
 with a free hand, and then softened into the 
 ground, care being taken that the lights and 
 shadows should not end too abruptly. 
 
 In these touches, as in all the painting, there 
 must be a certain thickness in reality, as well as 
 in appearance, to make the work effective when 
 finished. The clay shrinks and seems to be dis- 
 
METHOD OF PAINTING FAIENCE. 
 
 59 
 
 sipated in the process of firing, and if applied 
 too thinly, in any part, will reveal the body of 
 the ware, or some under-tint, perhaps spoiling 
 the appearance of the whole. The transparent 
 effect, produced by a thin layer of clay, which, 
 after firing, shows the under-tint through, is 
 sometimes very beautiful in certain parts of a 
 design. It is, however, difficult to judge by the 
 eye of the requisite degree of thickness necessary 
 to produce this effect, and the heat of the firing 
 may be so great as to cause that portion of the 
 painting to disappear entirely. It can not, then, 
 be safely counted upon, and the best way is to 
 depend solely upon the lights and shades of the 
 painting for the effects desired. 
 
 The ground finished, the decorative design 
 may be painted upon it. This should not be 
 outlined upon the surface, but should simply be 
 painted with a free hand, and without too much 
 attention to detail, a brilliant effect of light, 
 shade, and color being the object aimed at in 
 this style of painting. 
 
 We will suppose that a floral design is to be 
 
6o 
 
 POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 painted upon the vase. The middle tint of the 
 flowers can first be laid, the shadows are then 
 put in, and lastly the high lights, laid on heavily, 
 almost giving the effect of relief. Leaves and 
 other accessories of the design may be treated in 
 the same manner. The edge of the design must 
 be softened into the background, to avoid a hard 
 effect after the work is glazed. The process of 
 glazing has a tendency to soften and melt the 
 tints into each other, but this effect must be en- 
 hanced by judicious use of the middle tints and 
 shadows of the painting, and by leaving the 
 edges thin. One of the greatest beauties of this 
 kind of painting, when well done, is the effect of 
 the rich colors melting into each other, with a 
 charming indistinctness, which leaves something 
 to the imagination of the beholder. 
 
 Those who have not been accustomed to the 
 use of color in such masses, will, perhaps, be 
 embarrassed at first by the difficulty of painting 
 with clay. This will soon be overcome by prac- 
 tice, but, as has been said before, it should al- 
 ways be remembered that it is clay which is used, 
 
METHOD OF PAINTING FAIENCE. 
 
 6 I 
 
 and, therefore, the work is subject to the condi- 
 tions which govern the use of that material. 
 
 It is unnecessary to enter further into details, as 
 it is only intended here, to give some instruction as 
 to the method of painting, leaving the manner of 
 it to the artist, it being taken for granted that any 
 one desiring to practice this kind of painting 
 should have already attained some proficiency in 
 the use of colors, and should have acquired a 
 knowledge of the rules which govern art. 
 
 To such there will simply be the difficulty of 
 learning to work with a new material. If this 
 knowledge does not exist, it will be no easier to 
 succeed in accomplishing any thing, worth the 
 doing, in this, than in other kinds of art work. 
 
 With regard to the colors to be used, it is 
 enough to say that a sufficient number can be 
 obtained to produce by admixture, in various de- 
 grees, tints for the production of any subject re- 
 quired. It is only necessary to remember, as 
 said before, that in these mixtures the stronger 
 colors must not be in such proportion as to over- 
 power the weaker. A list of useful colors has 
 
62 
 
 POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 been given in a previous chapter. In regard to 
 the mixtures of these colors a few words may be 
 of use. 
 
 Black is a very useful color for shadows, mak- 
 ing, in its admixture with white clay, numerous 
 pleasing tints of grey, which may be varied by 
 the addition of any other color which may be de- 
 sired. As black is one of the strongest colors, 
 however, it must be very sparingly used where a 
 light tint is needed. In the mixture of blue and 
 green, the former must exist in a much smaller 
 proportion than the latter, if the mixture is to 
 have a greenish tint. Experience alone can give 
 success, but enough has been said to prevent the 
 beginner from making very disastrous mistakes. 
 
 The painting must, of course, be executed 
 while the clay is wet, and should be finished in 
 one sitting. If this is not possible, it may be 
 kept wet in the way described for keeping the 
 ware before painting. 
 
 In describing the method of painting a vase, 
 we have taken for our model, one decorated with 
 flowers. Decorations can, however, be as varied 
 
METHOD OF PAINTING FAIENCE. 63 
 
 in regard to subjects as paintings on canvas. 
 Floral decorations seem to be the best adapted 
 to vases, or other objects having rounded sur- 
 faces. Plaques and vases, such as pilgrim jars, 
 which afford flat surfaces, may also be decorated 
 with landscapes or figures. For these subjects 
 somewhat different treatment may be adopted, 
 but enough has been said to indicate the require- 
 ments of the material, and each artist will find a 
 manner suited to himself. 
 
 Decorations of a similar character can be pro- 
 duced upon ware of different colors, leaving the 
 color of the clay for a ground. This has a very 
 good effect when done upon cream-tinted clay 
 in suitable colors. As this kind of ware should 
 be fired at a higher temperature than the deeper 
 tinted and coarser clays, the colors are liable to 
 fade in the firing. This is not undesirable, how- 
 ever, as the faded tints harmonize with the light 
 ground much better than darker colors. Some 
 beautiful effects can be produced by decoration 
 of this kind, which can be supplemented by carv- 
 ing and gilding. 
 
6 4 
 
 POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 The same method can be used on a ground of 
 dark red clay by the selection of colors which 
 will harmonize with the ground. Yellow flowers 
 look well upon a ground of this character, and 
 the yellow color can be produced, as we have said 
 before, by the use of yellow clay, either alone or 
 as an adjunct to the color. 
 
 Monochrome decorations can also be pro- 
 duced, by the use of natural clays of various 
 colors, in the same manner as that pursued in the 
 use of the artificially tinted clay of which we 
 have been treating. Good effects can be pro- 
 duced in this way, with the advantage that the 
 colors will be fully retained in the firing. Red, or 
 brown and white, in various degrees of .combi- 
 nation, can be used to produce a design with 
 every effect of light and shade. Also, red, with 
 cream-tinted clay, or the three colors — red, yel- 
 low and white — can be used together. These 
 designs can be produced upon grounds of cream, 
 red, or yellow clay. 
 
METHOD OF PAINTING FAIENCE. 
 
 65 
 
 DRYING. 
 
 When the painting has been completed, it 
 should dry very slowly, and it would be better, 
 if possible, to effect this by placing it in a moist, 
 cool place. It is, however, difficult to handle a 
 piece of ware when wet. The clay is in a very 
 soft state, and a sudden jar might cause the vase 
 to fall to pieces. 
 
 If the vase has not been in proper condition 
 for painting, or has dried too quickly, it will, 
 after some hours have elapsed, begin to show fine 
 cracks upon the surface of the painting. These 
 may be stopped, before they have gone too far, 
 by passing a modeling tool over them, or, if 
 the crack has become too deep for this treatment, 
 it may be filled with clay as nearly as possible in 
 the state at which the body of the ware has ar- 
 rived. If the cracks are allowed to go too far it 
 will be difficult to stop them, as they may have 
 extended into the body of the ware. 
 
 If the piece is permitted to go to the firing 
 with any cracks, however small upon its surface, 
 
66 
 
 POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 they will become widened in the firing, and, 
 especially after the glazing, will show very dis- 
 tinctly. 
 
 In the biscuit, they may be stopped by fill- 
 ing them with powdered clay mixed with gum 
 water. But an ounce of prevention is worth 
 a pound of cure, and the safest method is to pre- 
 vent their appearance in the first place. If this 
 can not be done, they must be stopped as soon 
 as they appear. The finer clays seem to have 
 a greater tendency to crack in drying, and when 
 the cracks have appeared, they are more difficult 
 to stop than in other clays. 
 
 FIRING. 
 
 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. This latter de- 
 fect may also result from an excess of glaze, and 
 where it exists only in a very slight degree, pro- 
 
METHOD OF PAINTING FAIENCE. 
 
 67 
 
 duces a melting softness which is very pleasing. 
 This effect is, however, so likely to be exaggerated 
 to the ruin of the work that it is best not to run 
 any risk of the kind in firing, and to depend 
 upon the painting alone for the harmonious 
 blending of the tints. 
 
 The temperature at which the work is to be 
 fired, must, of course, depend upon the qualities 
 of the clay of which the piece of ware is made. 
 As has been said before, this clay should be one 
 that does not require an excessive degree of heat 
 in firing. The exact degree can be estimated by 
 the potter who understands the requirements of 
 the clay which has been used in the manufacture 
 of the particular piece of ware in question. It 
 may be said that the temperature at which Rock- 
 ingham ware is fired is suitable for this work, 
 and that a glaze such as that used upon that kind 
 of ware can be used with good results. It is 
 possible to have a glaze so adapted to the body 
 of the ware as to prevent it from crazing, and 
 yet preserve the brilliancy of the colors. 
 
68 
 
 POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 MODELING IN RELIEF. 
 
 J 
 
 S 
 
 NDER this head may be 
 comprised the decorative 
 modeling of figures and 
 other designs upon pot- 
 tery, in various degrees 
 of relief. First, we have 
 figures in relief forming 
 decorations upon vases. These, as well as other 
 designs in high relief, belong properly to the 
 domain of sculpture, and the methods of pro- 
 ducing them do not vary essentially from those 
 in use in that art. The final process in this case 
 is the firing, instead of the casting in plaster and 
 cutting in marble. 
 
 Of the methods of producing floral designs in 
 
MODELING IN RELIEF. 
 
 69 
 
 relief, a few suggestions may be of use. These, 
 as well as the painting described in the previous 
 chapter, must be executed when the body of clay, 
 to which they are applied, is very wet, and the 
 applied clay must in this case be, as nearly as pos- 
 sible, in the same condition. If the clay is not 
 in the proper condition, the work will crack in 
 drying. 
 
 The vase which is to be decorated being in the 
 right state, a lump of clay, having the plasticity 
 necessary 'for modeling, is procured. This may 
 be of C. C., a deeper cream color, or red, accord- 
 ing to the color desired. White granite is not 
 plastic enough, and is, besides, liable to crack in 
 drying. But of all white clays, parian forms 
 the most beautiful substance for this kind of 
 modeling. Leaves and petals of flowers can be 
 shaped from pieces of clay, which have been flat- 
 tened to the required thickness, either by press- 
 ing upon a slab of plaster of paris, by means of 
 a weight, such as potters use ; or, if the work is 
 not on a large scale, the clay can be shaped in 
 the palm of the hand. The forms can then be 
 
?o 
 
 POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 cut with a sharp modeling tool. If there 
 is more moisture in these pieces of clay than 
 in that which forms the body of the vase, they 
 should be allowed to remain a short time 
 upon a dry plaster slab. The plaster will 
 quickly absorb the moisture in the clay. When 
 ready, the pieces can be placed in position on 
 the vase, the places where they are to be applied 
 having been previously washed with clay and 
 water (technically called “slip”), or with glaze 
 water, to make them adhere. Stems are made by 
 rolling pieces of clay between the palms of the 
 hands, or upon a flat surface of wet plaster or 
 wood. They are afterwards allowed to dry, and 
 when in proper condition, applied in the same 
 manner as theflowers and leaves. Delicate touches 
 may be put in with a brush dipped in clay, of a 
 proper consistency for painting. The forms of 
 the design can be shaped and finished after they 
 have been applied to the vase by the use of model- 
 ing tools, and, finally, with a camel’s-hair brush. 
 Thedesign may also bebrushed overwith a sponge, 
 moistened with water, which will also be found 
 
MODELING IN RELIEF. 
 
 71 
 
 very useful in restoring the smooth surface of 
 the ground, if it has been injured in the process 
 of modeling. 
 
 After the modeling has been completed, the 
 work should be gone over with a modeling tool, 
 and in places where a mass of clay has been at- 
 tached to the surface, the edges should be under- 
 cut. This will prevent cracking. If this pre- 
 caution is not taken, a crack thus produced may 
 extend into the body of the vase and render it 
 unfit for firing. Where a large mass of clay oc- 
 curs in the modeled design, it is better to hol- 
 low out the projection from the inside of the 
 vase, to prevent the cracking or warping of the 
 whole in firing, caused by the unequal thickness. 
 
 Cracks, which may appear in drying, should 
 be filled, or, if possible, be pressed out with a 
 modeling tool, before the piece is fired. If the 
 crack is so deep that it is necessary to fill it, the 
 place should be cut open with a modeling tool, 
 moistened with water, and filled with clay, as 
 nearly as possible in the same condition as that 
 upon the vase. 
 
72 
 
 POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 Flowers can he modeled in parian clay upon 
 a creamy-tinted ground with good effect. Vari- 
 ous colors of deeper tinted natural clays, or clay 
 which has been artificially colored in the body, 
 can be used as the ground of such decorations. 
 Light grounds are sometimes colored after the 
 first firing, in the biscuit; ora ground can be 
 painted in the method described in the previous 
 chapter, while the vase is soft, and the modeled 
 decoration can then be applied instead of the 
 painting. 
 
 Decorations of this character in high relief 
 are frequently colored in natural tints, either un- 
 der the glaze, in the biscuit; or over the glaze. 
 The taste of this manner of finishing relief-work 
 is somew'hat questionable, and the same objec- 
 tion might apply to it as to colored sculpture. 
 That it has received the sanction of the best fac- 
 tories in the world is no proof of its being in 
 accord with correct taste, as the many (artistic) 
 atrocities of Dresden and Capo di Monte testify. 
 Some of the later Haviland faience, however, 
 having a ground in the usual style of that ware 
 
MODELING IN RELIEF. 
 
 73 
 
 with decoration in high relief, colored with sub- 
 dued 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 sur- 
 face. 
 
 It is only to the use of colors which imitate 
 those of nature upon modeled decorations that 
 there could be any objection. Relief-work may 
 be conventional in its form, or colored conven- 
 tionally, in one color or many, or gilded, with 
 perfect taste. The latter method produces a fine 
 effect, but, to make it successful, the color of 
 the ground should be well chosen, and the design 
 simple in form and not too much detached from 
 the surface. The gilding looks best when left 
 unburnished, and should only be rubbed enough 
 to give the effect of dead gold. 
 
 Next, we have applied designs in low relief. 
 These are made in several different ways, accord- 
 ing to the effects desired. Work of this kind is 
 
74 
 
 POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 more commonly executed by the method used in 
 the production of Wedgwood-ware. The designs 
 to be applied are first modeled in clay. Casts 
 are then taken of the models in plaster of paris. 
 Clay of the kind desired for the relief designs is 
 then pressed in the mold and the edges trimmed 
 off. The design can be removed from the mold 
 by the aid of a flat, steel instrument, with a 
 short, broad blade ; or a palette knife, which when 
 pressed upon the clay adheres to it and detaches 
 it from the mold. It can then be transferred to 
 the piece of ware to be decorated, to which it is 
 made to adhere by the use of “slip,” as de- 
 scribed before. 
 
 This method is very useful, indeed, indispens- 
 able in the manufacture of such wares commer- 
 cially, when the same designs are to be repeated 
 many times, but it is hardly to be recommended 
 for artistic work, except for conventional designs, 
 borders, etc. This method of casting the forms 
 in a mold may be useful, however, in the repro- 
 duction of leaves of intricate outline, which can 
 be made of various sizes, and, from the plasticity 
 
MODELING IN RELIEF. 
 
 75 
 
 of the clay, can be infinitely varied in position 
 according to the taste of the worker. 
 
 When objects of delicate and intricate form, 
 such as threads, spider’s webs, nets, and sometimes 
 leaves, are to be represented in work of this 
 character, it can be accomplished by dipping 
 threads, or nets of cotton, or, if leaves, the nat- 
 ural leaves themselves, into “slip.’* The clay 
 adheres to the threads, or forms, and after it has 
 set sufficiently, they can be placed upon the ob- 
 ject to be decorated. On firing, the substance 
 inclosed within the clay is dissipated and the clay 
 only, remains. Some very wonderful and beau- 
 tiful effects may be produced in this way ; but, 
 as these delicate forms are necessarily very fragile, 
 especially if much detached from the surface, 
 they are only suitable for articles intended solely 
 for ornament. 
 
 Designs in low relief can also be applied with 
 the brush in the forms desired, which may after- 
 ward be shaped and finished by the use of mod- 
 eling tools, or, when dry, carved with steel in- 
 struments. This latter is said to be the method 
 
7 6 
 
 POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 by which M. Solon executes his exquisite de- 
 signs in fine white clay upon ware which has been 
 colored in the body. One of the greatest beau- 
 ties of M. Solon’s work is the transparent 
 effect produced where the clay has been left so 
 thin as to show the colored ground through. 
 
 Work in the very slightest relief can be done 
 with the brush alone. Care must be observed 
 in this, however, that the application of clay is 
 not so very slight as to produce complete trans- 
 parency 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. 
 
 The colored grounds in the Wedgwood and 
 Solon ware are produced by the use of a fine clay 
 body, which has been artificially colored through- 
 out, which, in the case of Wedgwood, is finished 
 by a very slight glaze, and in the Solon ware, by 
 a full glaze, by which the transparent effects of 
 
MODELING IN RELIEF. 
 
 77 
 
 certain parts of the work are brought out. The 
 colors used in the body of these wares are blues, 
 dark greens, and olives, and also black. 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. The slight glaze 
 is called by potters a “smear” glaze, and is 
 effected by firing the work in a “ seggar,” which 
 is glazed upon the inside. The unglazed ware ab- 
 sorbs enough glaze from the glazed surface to give 
 it a semi-glazed appearance, which is very pleasing. 
 Work in partial relief, as well as articles in 
 full relief, can also be finished by the application 
 of colored glazes. This is the method by which 
 the ware known at the present time as majolica 
 
78 
 
 POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 is produced. Blue and green glazes of this 
 kind are frequently to be obtained in potteries 
 in this country, where they may be applied to 
 work which has been modeled. Other colors in 
 majolica glazes are to be had from the dealers, and 
 if the colors desired can not be applied at the pot- 
 tery, the artist can apply them with a brush in 
 the same manner as paint is used upon the bis- 
 cuit. The effect of work of this kind can also 
 be enhanced by gilding put on over the glaze. 
 
INCISING AND CARVING. 
 
 79 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 INCISING AND CARVING IN CLAY. 
 
 HESE are two of the sim- 
 plest as well as most effec- 
 tive methods of decorating 
 pottery. We will treat 
 first of incised work in 
 clay. 
 
 The piece of ware to be decorated must, of 
 course, be in the “green” state; not too wet, 
 yet not dry enough to be brittle. An outline 
 drawing can then be executed upon its surface 
 with a pointed modeling tool, not too sharp, and 
 perfectly rounded at the point. If any burr is 
 thrown up in the course of the lines, it must not 
 be brushed off until the piece has become par- 
 tially dry. The drawing can then be brushed 
 
8g 
 
 POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 over with a stiff camel’s-hair brush, leaving the 
 lines free. These lines can now be filled with 
 dark (under-glaze) paint (black is best), mixed 
 with a little gum arabic and water. In going 
 over the lines some of the paint will extend over 
 the edges ; this can be scraped off, when the 
 clay is dry, with the edge of a sharp steel blade, 
 two or three inches long, held between the fin- 
 gers and thumb. A broken knife-blade will do 
 for the purpose. This scraping must be very 
 lightly and carefully done, to avoid injuring the 
 surface of the ware. The surface may after- 
 wards be rubbed over with the very finest sand- 
 paper, when entirely dry. 
 
 The finish of this work must not be a full 
 glaze, but the “smear” glaze, described in the 
 last chapter. A full glaze would fill up the lines, 
 and so injure the appearance of the work. In 
 order that the black lines may be effective, the 
 ground of the decoration should be rather light 
 in color. The best colors for the body of wares 
 to be decorated in this way are light cream color, 
 or a mixture of cream color and red clay, pro- 
 
INCISING AND CARVING. 
 
 8 I 
 
 ducing a light brick-red ; or, if they can be 
 procured, any light colored clays which have been 
 artificially tinted in the body. A colored ground 
 for this work can be procured by having the 
 piece of ware dipped in colored slips. The de- 
 sign is then incised upon the surface, after it has 
 become dry enough, in the same manner as be- 
 fore. The lines are cut through to the body 
 of the ware beneath, showing a color contrasting 
 with that upon the surface with good effect. 
 Work of this kind is also executed upon stone- 
 ware. That of Miss Hannah Barlow will be 
 remembered as an instance of incised work, 
 in black lines, upon a red or light brown body. 
 Incised work also appears upon the Lambeth 
 stoneware. It is here used upon grey stoneware, 
 with raised dots in white, and colored with blue 
 glaze. Incised decorations can also be executed 
 upon earthenware in this way. White ware may 
 be used, and the design drawn upon it in the 
 cc green” state. The piece may then be finished 
 with colored glaze, which sinks into the depres- 
 sions formed by the lines, and so gives them a 
 
82 
 
 POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 darker color than the rest of the surface. Carved 
 work can also be introduced with good effect as 
 an accessory to incised work, and a few words as 
 to this kind of decoration will now be in place. 
 
 CARVING IN CLAY. 
 
 This work can be made very beautiful and 
 effective by those familiar with the use of carv- 
 ing tools. The tools used should be short-han- 
 dled carving tools, and the ware should be in the 
 <£ green” state and as for incised work, neither 
 too wet nor too dry. Dry enough for clean cut- 
 ting with the tools, and yet not so dry as to be 
 brittle. When in just the right state, clay forms 
 a fine substance for carving. As it dries very 
 rapidly, means should be used to keep it suffic- 
 iently moist until the work is finished. 
 
 The outline can be drawn upon the clay with 
 a sharp-pointed modeling tool, and the carving 
 can be executed with gouges, chisels, and parting 
 tools of the various shapes and sizes necessary. 
 Veining can be done with a pointed modeling 
 tool, and dots can be readily incised by pressure 
 
INCISING AND CARVING. 8j 
 
 on the surface. Raised dots can be made with 
 softer clay which has been dipped up in a quill 
 of the required size, which is then pressed upon 
 the surface at the place where the dot is desired. 
 
 Carved work can be finished by the use of 
 sand paper, a camel's hair brush, and water, or a 
 sponge ; but these should not be used very freely, 
 as they will injure the sharpness and cleanness 
 of the cutting, which it is desirable to preserve. 
 Carving looks best when finished with a “smear” 
 glaze. 
 
 Another variety of carved work can be pro- 
 duced upon a vase which has been previously 
 dipped in colored cc slip/’ The design is then 
 cut through the covering to the ground beneath, 
 which should be of a contrasting color. 
 
 Another method by which many varied and 
 beautiful effects can be produced is that of incising 
 lines, and cutting or pressing designs into the soft 
 clay, which are then filled with various colored slips. 
 The lines or other designs should be deeply cut, 
 moistened with water and filled with the colored 
 clays, which should be pressed into the depres- 
 
8 4 
 
 POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 sions and allowed to dry. When dry, the sur- 
 face can be scraped in a similar manner to that 
 made use of in finishing incised work. It should 
 be noted that in this latter work the body of the 
 clay should be in a softer state than would be 
 necessary for other carved or incised work. 
 
 Carving in clay, as well as modeling and incis- 
 ing can be glazed with the colored majolica 
 glazes with excellent effect. 
 
PAINTING ON THE BISCUIT. 
 
 85 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 PAINTING UPON THE BISCUIT. 
 
 FTER the ware has been fired 
 once and is in what is called 
 the <c biscuit/’ it can be decor- 
 ated by the use of underglaze 
 colors, in the form of thin 
 washes resembling water-color 
 
 o 
 
 painting. Ware used for this 
 purpose should be made of white, or very light 
 cream-colored clay, as the colors, being used in 
 transparent washes, would be dimmed, and would 
 have their tints sullied by use upon a ground of 
 dark color. 
 
 On white ware those colors should be used 
 which will best stand the heat necessary in the 
 firing and glazing of this ware. For this reason 
 painting executed on white is usually in mono- 
 
86 
 
 POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 chrome, and only the strongest colors are used, 
 such as blue, black, or brown. The best effect is 
 produced by the use of blue. This style of work 
 is familiarfrom the numerous pieces of Japanese 
 ware, of porcelain or white earthen-ware, painted 
 in blue, which are brought to this country. 
 
 The method of painting is simple and not 
 likely to prove difficult or uncertain as to its re- 
 sults 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 manufac- 
 tured here. Phillips’ mazarine blue and Harri- 
 son’s Persian blue are also very rich, deep colors, 
 the latter having a purplish tint. One of the 
 best blues, as reliable and pleasing in color as any, 
 has been prepared by Mr. Joseph Bailey, of the 
 Hamilton Road Pottery. 
 
 The color must be rubbed down until perfectly 
 smooth, and should be mixed with water and 
 enough gum arabic to keep it from rubbing off 
 
PAINTING ON THE BISCUIT. 
 
 87 
 
 in the necessary handling before firing. The de- 
 sign having been sketched upon the ware to be 
 decorated, with a lead pencil, the first washes may 
 be put in with a light tint of the blue. These 
 should be laid on with a free hand and without 
 retouching before they have dried. The darker 
 tints may then be laid in, and lastly the deepest 
 shadows. These should be painted thickly and 
 sharply to give the proper depth of color. If 
 necessary they may be painted over a second 
 time; care should be taken, however, not to 
 have an excess of paint in any part, as that would 
 prevent the glaze from adhering to the ware. 
 The lines should be particularly clear and sharp, 
 as they generally spread more or less in the glaz- 
 ing, and if they are not well defined and the shad- 
 ows are not dark enough, the effect will be blurred 
 and indistinct. In this kind of work clearness 
 and distinctness are to be desired. If the paint- 
 ing is carefully executed and the various degrees 
 of light and shade are well preserved, something 
 of the effect of a painting in water colors will be 
 produced. Monochromes in brown and black 
 
88 
 
 POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 are done in the same way, only that in the case 
 of the latter color it is better to mix a very little 
 blue with it, as that will make it stand the fire 
 better. Before glazing, the ware should be fired 
 once to “harden on” the colors. If the color 
 should run in the glazing, the painting may be re- 
 paired by the use of gilding over the glaze, by 
 which the blurred outlines may be concealed. 
 When, from the perfection of the firing, this is 
 unnecessary, work of this kind, and especially 
 that in blue, may be very much enhanced by a 
 judicious use of gilding. 
 
 Painting in the Lambeth or Bennett Style. 
 
 This is done upon a very light, cream-col- 
 ored ware. The method of painting is similar 
 to that described above, with the exception that 
 all colors can be used. In using the weaker 
 colors, and in mixtures, the same rules that have 
 been given before must be observed. Colors 
 which do not stand the fire very well, such as 
 yellow and rose color, must be laid on thickly, 
 while in mixtures, as well as when used alone, 
 
PAINTING ON THE BISCUIT. 
 
 89 
 
 the stronger colors should be used sparingly. 
 In the Lambeth or Bennett style of painting 
 upon faience, the designs are either wholly or 
 partly conventional. The grounds are either left 
 the natural color of the ware or painted. The 
 designs usually of flowers are in natural colors 
 very slightly shaded and surrounded by a dark 
 outline. 
 
 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. This is dipped in the color which has 
 been mixed upon the palette, and with it the 
 color is applied to the surface of the vase, pro- 
 ducing a mottled ground, which may be shaded 
 
9 ° 
 
 POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 from light to dark, by the application of more 
 or less color, as desired, and also may be varied 
 by the introduction of other colors which will 
 harmonize with each other, and with the decora- 
 tion. The design may then be painted in flat 
 washes, which should be laid on freely, with the 
 shadows boldly defined. This done, a line, 
 either of black or dark olive green, made from 
 dark brown and a little green, may be painted 
 around the design, outlining and relieving it 
 against the ground. 
 
 The painting finished, the piece should then 
 be fired to fix the colors. If necessary, it can 
 be touched up in any places which are thought to 
 need deeper tints after this firing, and before the 
 final process of glazing. It must be remem- 
 bered, however, that the effect of the glazing will 
 be to deepen the colors, and, unless the result 
 of this process has been learned from experi- 
 ence, the tendency will rather be to get them too 
 dark than too light. The most important thing 
 is, to keep the relative value of the lights and 
 shadows. If this is done, the effect will not be 
 
PAINTING ON THE BISCUIT. 
 
 9 T 
 
 bad, even if the colors should fade a little in 
 firing. 
 
 Another very important item in under-glaze 
 painting, which has been mentioned before, is, 
 that the colors must be in proper condition for 
 use, and to that end, must be carefully rubbed 
 down with a muller or palette knife. Inatten- 
 tion to this detail has caused much work of 
 rude and rough appearance to be produced, which 
 might otherwise have been fairly good. 
 
 In the Lambeth and Bennett ware the charm- 
 ing effect of color will generally be found to 
 have been produced by a system of burning 
 which would scarcely be considered legitimate, 
 according to the strict rules of the potter’s art. 
 The ware is not fired in the biscuit as hard as 
 such ware is usually fired, and the glaze applied 
 is softer than the body of the ware demands. 
 This soft glaze is used to save the colors, and 
 not being suited to the body of the ware will, 
 generally, be found to be badly crazed. In this 
 case, however, lovers of beautiful and harmo- 
 nious colors, in the decoration of pottery, will 
 
92 
 
 POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 think that the ends justifies the means, and as 
 the articles are wholly adapted for ornamental 
 purposes, this defect of glaze detracts but little 
 from their value. 
 
 Some work of a similar character has recently 
 been done in this city, however, in which the 
 ware has been fired and glazed in such a manner 
 as to make it perfectly durable, and, at the same 
 time, great beauty of coloring has been retained. 
 This result is not only important from the fact 
 that it offers opportunity for the production of 
 ornamental wares, but, also, from the considera- 
 tion that the perfection of the firing and glazing 
 of the ware renders it valuable for articles of use. 
 Nothing could be prettier than sets of table- 
 ware made of this cream-tinted clay, decorated 
 in colored, conventional designs. This would, 
 we think, be the perfection of ware for ordinary 
 use, and would form, with the combination of 
 the delicately tinted body and the harmonions 
 colors of the underglaze decoration, a service 
 both pleasing to the eye and very durable. 
 
 It is not the province of a work on under- 
 
PAINTING ON THE BISCUIT. 
 
 93 
 
 glaze painting to enter into the subject of over- 
 glaze decoration, yet as they are frequently com- 
 bined, mention may be made of some of the 
 varieties of decoration in which the two processes 
 are used. 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 
 “bright” gold, as its name indicates, becomes 
 bright in the firing and the burnishing is thus 
 rendered unnecessary. 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 
 
94 
 
 POTTERY DECORATION. 
 
 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 design is 
 then painted with over-glaze “relief” colors, 
 and the high lights laid in heavily, the whole pro- 
 ducing an effect which combines the delicacy of 
 the over-glaze colors with the depth of the 
 under-glaze. 
 
 We have tried to indicate, in the preceding 
 chapters, the principal methods employed in the 
 decoration of pottery under the glaze. These 
 various methods are combined with each other 
 and with over-glaze work in so many v/ays that 
 it is difficult for any but an expert to distinguish 
 in a given piece of ware the many processes 
 which may have combined to produce the result. 
 This renders the subject more difficult to treat 
 comprehensively, and these various ramifications 
 
PAINTING ON THE BISCUIT. 
 
 95 
 
 of the art of under-glaze painting can here be 
 but indicated. It is hoped, however, that the 
 suggestions given may be sufficient to afford the 
 student of ceramic decoration an idea of the 
 various forms and of the possibilities of the 
 art. 
 
. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 And full Descriptive Catalogue of everything 
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