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nomenclature/ 04 porcelain

updated thu 6 mar 03

 

Lily Krakowski on wed 5 mar 03


Just as I was getting my feet lined up and improving on cross country skis
(three lessons from a friend) we get icy rain, snow, icy rain. AND Friday
specialist tells me what can/can't be done for The Return of Carpal Tunnel!

Ok. Bad, vile crabby old-lady mood. BUT...

There is no such thing as low-fired porcelain. No going to repeat facts
written up in dozens of books, and now rehearsed on Clayart by People Who
KNOW.
|
What bugs me is Sloppy Speech...Been there, protested it before. This
applies to "porcelain" and applies, as far as I am concerned to "maiolica""
When I complained about that, RR pointed out that it now is used for c.6
glazes and "everyone" knows the word is no longer restricted to earthenware
tin-opacified lead glazes.

My point is and remains that when we use terms loosely we muddy our own
waters. We muddy the archives, we muddy the indeces of magazines, and
similar research tools. Here in the year 2020 some poor soul who has
inherited some majolica is interested in learning about it, researches and
find not some colorful lead-filled Italian ware, but c.6 leadfree stuff.

Unfortunately this stretching of names comes from the advertising industry,
and I think we should be wary of it. One is told all the time that this or
that " is like wool" when in fact after a few washings it is closer to a
coconut fiber doormat, with nasty rough pillings, while will wear a hole in
one's skin. This mix that is made of soy and skim milk and some sort of
seaweed "is a low fat whipped cream" when it could be used as a diagnostic
tool for establishing serious damage to the sense of taste!

There is no disgrace in acknowledging that imitations have their virtues,
and giving them their own names. Low fire white clay; white
earthenware--what is wrong with that? C.6 shiny white/tin-opacified
glazes--what is wrong with that?


Lili Krakowski
P.O. Box #1
Constableville, N.Y.
(315) 942-5916/ 397-2389

Be of good courage....

Giles on wed 5 mar 03


> There is no such thing as low-fired porcelain. No going to repeat facts
> written up in dozens of books, and now rehearsed on Clayart by People Who
> KNOW.
> |
> What bugs me is Sloppy Speech...Been there, protested it before. This
> applies to "porcelain" and applies, as far as I am concerned to
"maiolica""

Don't leave out CELADON. Celadons are colored with iron. If It has copper,
chrome, or a commercial stain in it, it may be colored "celadon green" but
it's not a celadon glaze.

Kristen Giles
k-mgiles@earthlink.net
.

Elizabeth Herod on wed 5 mar 03


Lily wrote : <muddy our own
waters. We muddy the archives, we muddy the indices of magazines, and
similar research tools.>>

I might add that the brains of the novices also become muddied.

A student once asked =B3where do I put the greenware?=B2 The teacher replied,
=B3What are you talking about?=B2 Student replies, =B3this piece=B2.
Teacher replies, =B3That=B9s not greenware. Greenware has been fired.=B2 Teache=
r
then takes the piece, and puts it on the =B3greenware=B2 shelves.
The first time I heard this, I was confused. But, I heard the same questio=
n
and answer yesterday, and saw the same look of confusion on the student=B9s
face.

The thing that really did cause a problem though, was with low fire white
clay. Someone thought it was porcelain. The gas kiln ended up with a big
blob of melted clay on one of the shelves. Not only was the piece a rather
large plate, but it also had glass in the middle of it.

Moral of the story, mudding the waters can be costly.

Beth