Posted on 07.08.201817.09.2018 by admin Potter is the oldest profession So, the term ceramics (from the Greek word “ceramos”, which means clay) is old as the world and is used to refer to products that are produced by sintering mixtures of clays with mineral additives. Ceramics has been known since ancient times and is probably the first man-made artificial material. Take a walk in the excavations of any ancient site of ancient settlement. What do you see in abundance under your feet? That’s right – the abundance of ceramic shards that were once amphoras, pithos, vases, bowls, figurines, etc. As a result of the heat treatment of the ceramic, the material is almost eternal (oh, if not for its fragility!). It is no accident that one of the most important methods of dating in archeology is based precisely on the classification of ceramic shards. So what is the logical profession to consider as “the oldest”? Terracotta Terracotta – in Italian “terra cotta” – burnt earth – ceramic unglazed items from reddish clay of various shades with a porous structure. Already from the definition it is clear that this is the most ancient type of ceramics. It is terracotta used in the construction of the majestic ancient Babylon, the legendary Roman public buildings of aqueducts and the term, the ancient Greek systems of natural water conduits, which are used in places to this day! Our contemporaries, brick and tiles are worthy descendants of ancient traditions. Such a simple material as terracotta, from ancient times and still inspires artists and craftsmen to create toys, figurines, dishes and decor items. The methods of decoration of terracotta ware are limited, basically, by modeling the convex or concave relief, giving the surface of the product a different texture. Pottery Pottery ceramics – terracotta, subjected to additional processing to give it water resistance or decor. The main “folk” ways to decorate porous ceramics and make it suitable for use as dishes: «Engobing» – coating of a raw product painted in different colors of liquid clays. «Floating» – smoothing the surface before firing a smooth object until a kind of shine appears. «Stain» – consists in the prolonged aging of clay products in the smoke of a slowly cooling furnace, the dishes acquire a deep black color. «Welding» – taken out of the furnace, the hot product is quickly dipped in milk or flour pastry, while on its surface beautiful tinctures are formed, the dishes become waterproof. «Waxing» – treatment with hot wax in a mixture with vegetable oil, followed by baking. Terracotta acquires shine, water resistance and a beautiful shade of cognac color. These methods of decoration and are still widely used in folk crafts and art workshops. Majolica Majolica – the nearest relative of pottery, is covered with colored glazes – enamels. The name comes from the Mediterranean island of Mallorca, through which such dishes from Mauritanian Spain were imported to Italy. In fact, irrigation ceramics are known to people since the times of Ancient Egypt and Babylon, where it was widely used even for decorating buildings (for example – the famous Ishtar Gate). In the Middle Ages majolica was widely developed in Islamic art. The mosques and minarets all over the world store her unsurpassed samples. European masters with pleasure have picked up this technics and have developed it in manufacture of tiles, sculptural reliefs, utensils, subjects of a life and any nice knickknacks. To modern authors, it still leaves a considerable space for the embodiment of the most bizarre ideas. A distinctive method of decorating majolica: «Glazing» – coating porous crocks with transparent or opaque vitreous compositions followed by roasting. Also for the decoration of majolica we use modeling, watering with colored engobes, painting overglaze paints and glazes. European majolica as an art, began to develop about 400 years ago and continues to gain popularity. Faience Faience (from the name of the Italian city of Faenza, a well-known place of production) – ceramic products (facing tiles, architectural details, utensils, sanitary ware, etc.), which have a dense small-porous white shard covered with glaze. The earthenware shard is denser than ceramic, but less dense than porcelain and does not have its whiteness and transparency. How to visually distinguish faience from porcelain? If there is a glaze on the rim – you have faience in front of you (porcelain products do not glaze because of the technology of production on the rim of the bottom!). If there is no glaze – drop a drop of water: on faience it will absorb in a few seconds into the shard. There is still an old sure way: porcelain always rings, even with a slight tapping, the sound of faience will always be deaf and low. Stone ceramics Stone ceramics – refractory, opaque, forming a solid crusted crock of gray or light brown color. Tableware from the ceramic mass is usually covered with a transparent crystalline or matt glaze, often decorated with a delicate relief. Modern stone masses often imitate a natural stone, for example, granite. Used stone pottery for the production of refractory dishes, massive pots, garden and park sculptures. In China, the appearance of the ceramic mass preceded the invention of porcelain. Porcelain Porcelain – the peak of the ceramic achievements of mankind, can be conditionally divided into a soft (semi-porcelain) and solid. Their main difference is not in the hardness of the composition, as one might think, but in the firing temperature. In addition, in soft porcelain more diverse substances, giving it additional qualities – for example, whiteness and translucence. Variety of soft porcelain: «Bone china» It contains bone ash, rich in calcium. Soft porcelain is often used for the production of expensive thin-walled (translucent) utensils, art products. «Solid porcelain» High-temperature, used for everyday dishes, vases, figurines, figurines and sculptural groups, decor items for the home, in technology. «Biscuit» A variety of porcelain products, in which their surface is not covered with glaze and not painted. At the same time, the velvety surface of the biscuit excellently emphasizes the texture and warmth of figures and figurines made of it. The whiteness and firmness of the porcelain shard allow the widest range of decoration methods to be used: decoration with stucco decoration, coating with a wide range of glazes, underglaze and overglaze painting, painting and plating with gold and platinum: «Underglaze painting» Performed on unglazed raw or burned potato, followed by glaze coating. The pattern, usually, has soft contours and soft colors, so a small group of pigments withstand the subsequent high-temperature firing. The technique of such a painting requires high skill: because of the porosity of the cranium, the error is almost impossible to correct. In addition, the real color of the pigment appears only after firing, and the artist does not always see what, in fact, he drew. «Overglaze painting» It is performed on the burnt glazed pottery, followed by fixing the paints with low-temperature roasting. The palette of modern paints for the overglaze painting of porcelain and ceramics is incomparably wider. In addition, an inaccurate smear is easy to erase and remodel. Such a painting because of the brightness of the colors and the clarity of even thin lines is very popular. It is not necessary to think that the overglaze painting can be erased or exfoliated from the base: the binding of the paints by “burning tightly” glues from the to the glaze layer of the product. «Gilded porcelain» The noble foundation is worthy of a noble finish: gilding is a favorite technique for giving the final brilliant touch to a porcelain décor or everyday life. It is carried out with preparations containing natural gold, on top of the glaze with subsequent low-temperature fixation on it. Often performed in the form of a thin ribbon on the rim of a cup or saucer. This technique is called gold bend. Another popular method of decorating porcelain figurines, expensive dishes – gold edging. It consists in applying thin gold lines along the edges of the painted surface or along the border of two sections of different colors. Sometimes the artistic method is to cover with gold a large surface or even the whole product. Porcelain is still a beautiful and refined material that once was an attribute of real luxury and now can become a true decoration of the house and give joy to its inhabitants for many years. All the items presented in the photographs in this article are in the collection of the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia. Share this:TwitterFacebookWhatsAppEmailPrint