[G] CERAMICS AND POTTERY

Ceramic

An inorganic, non-metallic solid made up of either metal or non-metal compounds that have been shaped and hardened by heating to high temperatures

Keramicos

Means pottery in Greek

Keramos

Meaning potter's clay and is used to describe a whole body of ware made of clay

Pottery

The process or forming vessels and other artifacts with clay and other ceramic materials like silica, hardened and sintered in fire

The Clay State or Greenware

The ware is formed but hasn't gone under firing. They are very brittle and are often sanded with fine grade sandpaper to ensure a smooth finish in the completed item.

Leatherhard

Refers to a specific stage during the drying of the object; Clay is still visibly damp but has dried enough to be able to be handled without deformation

Bone Dry

Term used to identify Greenware pottery that has dried as much as possible before it has gone through its first firing

The Biscuit State or Bisque

A term which means half-baked; When the ware has undergone a preliminary low range firing through an oven or a kiln; It is any pottery that has been fired without a ceramic glaze, plain red, white or brown

Bisquit Porcelain

An unglazed white porcelain that is treated as a final product, with a matte appearance and texture to touch

Glazed State

After ware has been covered with the glaze and has undergone a second firing, it is done to make wares impermeable to water and other liquids

Glaze

A mixture of chemicals, mostly silica, the major component of glass, clay, a melting agent, water, colorants and a suspension agent allowing the chemicals to stick together and not separate like oil and water; May be applied by dusting the unfired composition over the ware, or by spraying, dipping, trailing or brushing on a thin slurry.

Salt Glaze

A traditional form of glaze, high-firing and usually used on stoneware; Salt is introduced during the firing process, resulting a textured, granular surface

Ash Glaze

A type of glaze from the combustion of plant matter used as a flux; The variable nature of the raw material are unpredictable

Alkaline Glaze

A low-high firing depending on the alkaline flux, such as borax, potash, or soda ash. Frequently transparent, this can produce brilliant colors, such as Egyptian blue, using low temperature firing. Commonly used for crackle glazes and even on Japanese Raku ware

Lead Glaze

A type of glaze used for low-firing on earthenware; Results are a smooth glasslike finish that allows bright colors and decorative patterns to show through

Tin Glaze

A type of glaze like lead but with added oxide, making the result white, shiny, and opaque; Used for earthenware and provides a background for bright painted decoration

Feldspathic Glaze

A type of high-firing glaze which uses feldspars as base; Fused at a high temperature which is why they are only used for Stoneware and Porcelain; Creates a hard, glossy, and transparent surface

Coloring

Oxides were used to create colored glazes

Tin Oxide

An oxide that produces white powder

Cobalt Oxide

An oxide that produces grayish blue to pure sapphire, widely used in East Asia and Europe for blue-and-white Porcelain wares

Cupric Oxide

An oxide that produces a distinctive series of blues, and with excess carbon monoxide, yields a bluish red known as reduced copper

Cuprous Oxide

An oxide that produces a series of greens

Ferric Iron Oxide

An oxide that produces pale yellow to black, with the most important being a slightly orange red, known as Iron Red.

Ferrous Iron Oxide

An oxide that produces a type of green best seen on Chinese Celadon wares.

Manganese Oxide

An oxide that produces varying from bright red purple to a dark purplish brown, almost black; Aubergine Purple of Chinese wares was derived from this

Antimony Oxide

An oxide that produces yellow

Earthenware

Soft pottery that is the oldest and most universal; Natural clays fired at 900 to 1200 °C; Usually porous and opaque, pale tan to red and brown in color, and has a tendency to chip and break

Stoneware

Clays with a higher percentage of sand, fired at 1200-1280 °C; Extremely hard, usually vitrified and impermeable to water; Available both in dull and glazed forms either white or colored

Porcelain

Kaolin mixed with decayed granite and fired at 1280 to 1400 °C; Has a clear white color and is extremely hard and translucent; Hardest ceramic product that originated in China

Hard Porcelain

Porcelain fired between 2390-2570 F; Considered the best kind of porcelain made of kaolin and is called "true porcelain"

Soft Porcelain

Porcelain fired below 2300 F; More translucent, not white in color nor does it have the clear ringing tune of true porcelain; Suffers more damage through time

Bone China

White hard translucent ceramic ware; It gained the whiteness, translucency, and stability through the inclusion of calcium phosphate in the form of calcined ox bones; Requires at least 2 or more firings at different temperatures; Opaque but not as hard as porcelain

Petuntse

Also known as China stone; Less decayed, more fusible feldspathic material

Protoporcelain

Early vitreous wares produced by the Chinese

True Porcelain

These are white vitreous ware

Slip

A thick semi-solid fluid composed of clay and water into which the ware is dipped, dried then fired

Terra Sigillata

Means sealed earth; Comes from the name of a type of Roman pottery that was mass produced around the 15 Century AD; Have glossy surfaces ranging from soft luster. to a brilliant glaze-like shine, in a range from pale orange to bright red

Decalcomania

Art of transferring designs from a specially prepared paper to a wood or glass or metal surface

Lithographed

A printing process based on the principle that oil and water do not mix; This process systematically treats the surface, so the the image areas will accept the oily ink, while the non-image or blank areas are treated to repel the ink

Sgrafitto

The term come from the ltalian graffiare, meaning to scratch; Designs are drawn with a pointed tool that are scratched through the slip to reveal the body

Pierced

Decorative elements that involve cutting or carving through the clay to create intricate patterns or designs

Overglaze

Colored decoration is applied over a fired transparent glaze; Object is fired a third time to set the decoration; Third firing is at a lower temperature than glost firing, allowing for a greater range of pigments

In-glaze

Commonly used in tin-glaze earthenware, colored decoration is applied over a dried but unfired opaque glaze; During glost firing, the color and the glaze fuse together thus creating a uniform surface

Underglaze

Colored decoration is applied to an unglazed body, and then covered with a transparent glaze; The glaze then seals the decoration during the glost firing; Colors used are limited, as certain pigments, known as grand feu colors, can with stans the high heat of the glost firing

Primitive Ceramics

Archaeological evidence shows that primitive man first started to use ceramic sin a utilitarian sense; Vessels were fashioned made of hardened earth to serve as storage for grain and water; Usually plain but later on have included patterns like the zigzag and the chevron

Egyptian Ceramic

Pottery in Ancient Egypt served a different purpose other than as containers for practical or domestic items; Used in ritualistic rites that are geared towards the burial ceremony; Clothes, shoes, and other favorite items of the deceased are usually placed in earthenware and buried together with the body

Black Figure Ware

Figures are painted black on a red background

Red Figure Ware

figures are painted red on black background

White Ground Ware

Figures are painted either red or black on a white background

Drinking Cups

Which kind of Greek ceramics are these: Skyphos, Kylix

Bowls for mixing wine and water

Which kind of Greek ceramics are these: Column Krater, Volute Krater, Calyx Krater, Bell Krater

Wine Jugs

Which kind of Greek ceramics are these: Oinochoe. Oinochous

Water Jugs

Which kind of Greek ceramics are these: Hydria, Kalpis

Oil Flasks

Which kind of Greek ceramics are these: Lekythos, Aryballos

Storage Jars

Which kind of Greek ceramics are these: Amphora, Neck Amphora, Pelike

Wine or water container

Which kind of Greek ceramics are these: Stamnos

Cloisonne

An ancient technique for decorating metalwork objects, in recent centuries using vitreous enamel, and in older periods also inlays of cut gemstones, glass, and other materials; Soldering or adhering silver or gold wires or thin strips placed on their edges

Italian Ceramics

Period when pottery became a vehicle of artistic expression; First instance in which a recognized school of art occurs in Italy— given it a value not inferior to canvasses and frescoes of the same period

Mezzo-maiolica

A type of tin-glazed earthenware pottery that was produced in Italy during the Renaissance period characterized by its white glaze (tin-based) and its vibrant, colorful decoration painted over the glaze

Majorca Ware

A tin-glazed earthenware produced on Mallorca

Bianchi di Faenza

A type of Italian Renaissance maiolica pottery that was produced in Faenza known for its characteristic white tin-glazed surface decorated with intricate designs in blue or other colors painted over the glaze

Istoriato Style

A specific style of maiolica pottery decoration that emerged during the Italian Renaissance characterized by its elaborate narrative or historical scenes painted in vibrant colors on a white tin-glazed background

Nicola Pellipario

Greatest Istoriato painter who decorated Castel Durante and Urbino wares; His palette is soft and harmonious, and his subjects, drawn chiefly from Ovid and Lucian, are lyrically rendered

Passeri

An Italian antiquary distinction, claims the discovery of the ware for Pesaro; Affixed the date 1492 to the introduction of Majolica ware

Lucca Della Robia

Italian goldsmith and sculptor who discovered the use of stanniferous enamel, the hardest glaze then in use; Credited to the one to raise production of majolica from a craft to high art

Master Giorgio Andreoli

Known to have perfected the luster technique; Hired to embellish the work of other workshops

Francesco de Medici

Grand duke of Tuscany who produced an inferior type of soft-paste porcelain in the 16th century

Doccia Ware

Porcelain produced at a factory near Florence founded by Marchese Carlo Ginori in 1735; Principal features are imitation of majolica and successful reproduction of the bas reliefs of Della Robia; Three decorative themes distinguish this ware: a galletto, a tulipano pattern, range of polychrome or white-figured reliefs of mythological subjects

A galletto

Design of Chinese origin consisting of two fighting cocks

A tulipano

Design featuring a central, stylized red tulip with surrounding flowers

Capodimonte Porcelain

Founded by Charles III in Naples, Italy. Made in direct emulation of Meissen porcelain characterized by a pronounced creamy color and an unusually glossy clear glaze; Famous for its moulded figurines and its decorative modelled flowers applied to cups and vases

Commedia Dell'arte

A form of improvised theater that originated in Italy in the 16th century and became popular throughout Europe during the Renaissance

Delft Ware

Blue and white Dutch pottery in the 16th Century; Soft-boiled earthenware fired at a relatively low temperature and covered with a tin-based glaze decorated with windmills and fishing boats

De Koninklijke Porceleyne Fles

Only remaining original producer of Dutch delftware; Means Royal Porcelain Jar

Peasant Delft

A type of delftware that is distinctive in which the decoration is treated; Has a broad style of painting with motifs so simplified; Used to decorate farm stables in the summer season when they were used for social gatherings

Amstel

Had a fine white body, said to be the best quality, closely resembling the body of Dresden china, and their tableware and utilitarian containers suited the upper class

Hague

Known for its high quality and exquisite craftsmanship, often rivaling the famous porcelain produced in other European centers; Decorated and refired black porcelain pieces produced elsewhere;

French Ceramics

Faience potteries, or tin-enameled earthenware; Had close alliance with religious events and projected by crowned heads or royal houses; Has a love for detail and nice appreciation of completeness, and has a more elegant and artistic pottery work than Germany or Holland.

Terre de Pipe

Its pure whiteness and fineness affording excellent qualities which went far towards perfecting the French styles of decoration

Fayence d’Oiron

Also known as Henri II Ware and Saint-Porchaire Ware; Very first high quality French pottery made for a restricted French clientele; True pipe clay with a transparent thin lead-glaze, and a yellowish-tint

Fontainebleau School

A distinctive style of Mannerist decoration and design that emerged in France during the Renaissance; Characteristics include elaborate ornamentation, mythological and allegorical themes, illusionistic techniques, and integration of architecture and decoration

Bernard Palissy

Succeeded in producing a widely imitated pottery, admired for smooth glazes in richly colored enamels; He was appointed as royal potter to Catherine de Medici reproducing scriptural and mythological subject in low relief and for his rustic pieces decorated with sharply modeled forms copied from nature

Rouen Faience Factory

Factory by the Poterat family; Experiments resulted in some of the earliest examples of soft-paste porcelain made in France; Has bluish and distinctive underglaze blue decoration.

Saint-Cloud Factory

Imitated Chinese blue-and-white porcelain but soon decorated with French prints of 16th and 17th C; The underglaze blue decorative scheme of Chinese porcelain was retained but the subject matter was typically French and the vocabulary of foliage, scrollwork, and animals or human heads

Chantilly factory

Soft-paste factory in France established by Louis Henry, the duc de Bourbon; Copied Japanese pieces while others were executed in a style reminiscent of Japanese porcelain

French Factory of Mennecy

French factory founded by Francois Barbin in the town of Villeroy; Produced utilitarian ware of considerable originality and naïve charm

Vincennes factory

French soft-paste porcelain factory established in 1740; Developed a superior soft-paste porcelain body that was whiter and freer of imperfections than any of its French rivals, as well as hiring the most talented French artists to design shapes and provide drawings and prints for the factory's painters

Sèvres Factory

Flourished because of their constant innovation and new forms were always in development: It was backed by Louis XV; Assumed leadership in Europe and continued to set standards for European porcelain production

Limoges Factory

French hard-paste porcelain factory established in 1774; Made the finest, purest white porcelain in the world; Known for their quality and innovation in the universal expositions organized in various parts of the world

Hafner Ware

A German lead-glazed earthenware, popular in 16th cent. and 17th cent.

Poterie Deluxe

German pottery exceedingly fine in color, form and ornament; Highest eminence which German pottery reached

Johann Friedrich Bottger

Discovered the materials required to produce a white, translucent, high-fired porcelain body, introducing to Europe the art of making true hard-paste porcelain of the Chinese type

Böttger Stoneware

First European hard-paste porcelain produced by Johann Friedrich Böttger who was credited with the discovery of European porcelain

Meissen Factory

The first European manufactory of hard-paste porcelain

Dresden Ware

Porcelain ware, especially delicate and elegantly decorative objects and figures of high quality, made at Meissen; Produced creamy white porcelain called Böttger porcelain; Developed a new and extensive range of enamel colors, and excelled in chinoiserie scenes; Produced large-scale vases decorated with ground colors in imitation of Chinese porcelain

Du Pacquier Factory

Second factory in Europe to produce hard-paste porcelain; Established by Claudius du Paquier at 1719

Hispano-Mosque Wares

Synthesis of Near Eastern and European styles; Heavy earthenware usually decorated with crude patterns in green-blue, yellow, white and lusterware

Lustreware

Also called Hispano Mauresque; A type of pottery or porcelain with a metallic glaze that gives the effect of iridescence, produced by metallic oxides in an overglaze finish, which is given a second firing at a lower temperature in a muffle kiln, reduction kiln, which excludes oxygen.

Albarelli

A type of majolica earthenware jar, originally a medicinal jar designed to hold apothecaries' ointments and dry drugs

Majolica

Spanish tin glazes and enameled earthenware; Glazed floors and wall tiles decorated with flower and abstract motifs showing fusion of Renaissance and Moorish motifs