Ceramics handling collection

Ceramics handling collection
.
Ceramics handling collection
Teachers notes
Welcome to the National Museum of Scotland.
Our ceramics handling collection contains 17 pieces from our
collection and we encourage everyone to enjoy looking at and
touching the objects to find out all about them.
These notes include:
•
Backgroundinformationonceramics.
•
Detailsabouteachpiece.
•
Ideasforquestions,thingstothinkaboutandtodiscusswith
your group.
NMS Good handling guide
The collection is used by lots of different groups so we’d like your help
to keep the collection in good condition.
Please follow these guidelines for working with the objects and talk
them through with your group.
1
Always wear gloves when handling the objects (provided)
2
Always hold objects over a table and hold them in two hands
3
Don’ttouchorpointatobjectswithpencils,pensorothersharp
objects
4
Check the objects at the start and the end of your session
5
Please report any missing or broken items using the enclosed
form
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Ceramics handling collection
What are ceramics?
•
Ceramicsareobjectsmadefromclaymixedwithwaterand
then fired in a kiln.
• Therearethreetypesofceramics:porcelain,stonewareand
earthenware (pottery).
• Ceramicshavebeenmadeforthousandsofyears.Theoldest
known ceramics are animal and human figures that date to
around24,000BC.
• Ceramicsareusedformanypurposes-vases,tilesand
sculptures.Oneofthemostcommonusesisfortableware-
plates,bowls,cupsetc.
• Ceramicscanbeforpracticalordecorativepurposes–orboth
at the same time!
• Ceramicscanbemadebyonepersonorinafactory,where
groupsofpeopledesign,makeanddecoratetheobjects.
• Thepatternsandscenesusedtodecorateceramicsareoften
influenced by local styles but makers and manufacturers also
take on board styles and designs form other countries to meet
demands and fashion.
Hand painted decorative platter from China
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Ceramics handling collection
Types of ceramic decoration
•
Ceramicscanbedecoratedwithpaintandglazedtomakethem
more attractive.
• Untiltheintroductionoftransferprinting(seeover),allceramics
had to be decorated by hand. This was very time consuming
andmadetheceramicobjectsmoreexpensive.
• Ceramicscanbedecoratedinavarietyofwaysincluding:
• Markingpatternsinthesurfaceoftheclaywhenitisstillwet.
• Under-glazedecoration–decorationisappliedtothe
surfaceoftheobjectbeforeitisglazed.Theglazesealsthe
decorationsoitcanneverruboff.Becausetheobjecthas
onlybeenfiredonce,thissecondfiringhastobedoneat
a high temperature and this limits the colours that can be
used.
• In-glazedecoration–decorationisappliedonthesurface
oftheglazebeforeitisfiredsothepaintandtheglazedry
together.
• Over-glazedecoration–decorationisappliedafterthe
objecthasbeenglazed.Whentheobjectisfiredthe
decorationblendswiththeglazeandissealed.Because
the object has already been fired twice (once before and
onceaftertheglaze),thisfinalfiringcanbedoneatalow
temperature so lots of colours can be used.
• Enamel–powderedglassisfusedtotheobjectduringfiring.
Pottery factory interior
showingaflat-presser
making dishes
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Decorative styles and inspiration for tableware
•
Theceramictablewarethatweseeinshopsandkitchencupboards
todayisdecoratedinavarietyofstyles–someareplain,some
havesimpleblocksofcolour,somegeometricpatternsandsome
floral prints. Styles of ceramic decoration change over the years and
are often influenced by fashion.
• Inthe18thand19thcenturies,ceramicfactoriesinBritain
produced tableware and other ceramics with designs inspired by
patternsandstylesfromchinaandtheFarEast.
• InparticularBritishmanufacturerswereseekingtocopythemuch
admired Chinese ‘blue and white’ porcelain. Popular blue and
whitedesignsincludedChinesedragons,pagodascenes(atype
ofChinesebuilding),exoticflowersandbirds,elephantsandthe
‘willow pattern’ which tells the story of two star crossed lovers who
areimmortalizedbytheGodsastwodoveseternallyflyingtogether
in the sky.
• Thesewerepaintedinblueontoawhitebackground.
• SomedesignsusedtheChineseblueandwhitestylebutreplaced
ChineselandscapeswithscenesfromtheEnglishcountryside.
DetailofChineseblueandwhitestyledish
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Transfer printing
•
Transferprintingwasintroducedinthelate18thcenturyas
a way of cheaply applying designs on ceramics.
• Thismeantthatpatternedceramicscouldbemass
produced and were more affordable.
• Transferprintingprocess:
1. A copper plate was engraved with the design
2. The design was printed onto a sheet of thin paper
3. The paper was be applied to the ceramic object
4.Whentheobjectwasfired,thepaperburnedoffleaving
the design on the plate
5.Theplatewasthenglazedtopreservethedesign
• Aseparatetransferwasneededforeachcolour.Thismeant
that only limited colours could be used.
Woman applying gold print transfers
to ware at Wedgewood factory
National Museum of Scotland
Detailoftransferprinteddish
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Ceramics handling collection
How to identify ceramics
•
Wecanusuallyidentifyaceramicobjectbyits‘mark’.Thisis
the writing or symbol that appears on the base of the object.
• Markswereusedoriginallytoletshopsknowthenameofthe
manufacturer so that they could order more.
• Themarkcouldalsobeaguaranteeofahighqualitydesignor
manufacture.
• Marksareusefultousastheycantellusthemanufacturerand
sometimes the date of a ceramic object.
Makers’ marks
•
Ceramicmarkscanbeappliedinfourways:
1.Incised–themarkisincisedorengravedbyhandintothe soft clay as the object is being made.
2.Impressed–astampispressedintothesoftclayasthe
objectisbeingmade.Itisneaterthananincisedmark.
3.Painted–themakerwritestheirnameorinitialsunderor overtheglazewhentheobjectisbeingdecorated.
4.Printed–themarkistransferredfromanengravedcopper platebeforetheglazeisadded.
• Itisimportanttoknowhowacompanyappliedtheirmarksas
this can help identify fake marks.
• Someceramicobjectsalsocarryregistrationmarks.Thesecan
tell us when the company registered the design on the object.
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Contents
Porcelain
1a. Porcelain tea bowl
1b. Porcelain saucer
2. Teacup
Stoneware
3a.Dinnerplate
3b. Starter plate
3c. Tureen stand
3d. Serving plate
4.Decorativeplatter
5.Blueandwhitedish
Earthenware
6a.Blueandredbowl
6b. Red and blue bowl
6c.Greenandredbowl
6d. Red and green bowl
7a.Blueandwhiteearthenwaredish-easternscene
7b.Blueandwhiteearthenwaredish-elephantscene
7c.Blueandwhiteearthenwaredish-countryscene
8.Earthenwareteabowl
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Fab fact!
Porcelainisextremely
beautiful and is the most
highlyprizedceramic
because it is so thin and
translucent.
Porcelain
•
Itisverywhiteandshinybecauseitcontainsthemineral
‘kaolin’ and is fired at a very high temperature. This causes
the clay to partially turn into glass.
• Porcelainisthefinesttexturedofallceramics.
• Thename‘porcelain’comesfromtheItalianword
‘porcellana’ which means ‘cowrie shell’. This is because
porcelain is translucent (see through) and looks like the
translucent surface of the shell.
• Porcelainisnonporous(itcanbeusedtoholdliquid)and
very hard which makes it difficult to scratch. This is why it is
perfect for tableware.
• Porcelainisveryhard,butalsoverybrittle.Itshatterseasily
if it is dropped or struck with something hard.
• Porcelainisoftencalled‘china’becauseitwasfirstmade
inChinaover2000yearsago.
• Chinesemakersofporcelainkeptthemanufacturing
processsecret.Europeanfactoriesdidnotlearnhowto
makeporcelainuntilthe1750sandbeforethistheyhadto
import it from China.
• AlthoughporcelaincouldnowbemadeinBritain,itwasso
rareandexpensivethatonlyveryrichpeoplecouldafford
it.
• Stoneware and earthenware were cheaper alternatives to
porcelain.
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See
Hold the pieces carefully
up to the light and waggle
your fingers behind them.
Can you see your fingers
through the porcelain?
Touch
Feel the soft ridges that
run round the edge of the
cup and saucer and down
their sides. This is known as
‘scalloping’.
1a. Porcelain tea bowl & 1b Porcelain saucer
These pieces are very old and fragile. Please take care
when handling them.
•
Think
The cup and saucer have
averydelicatepattern.Do
you think it would have
been hand painted or
transfer printed?
ThisteabowlandsauceraremadefromWorcester
porcelain.
• TheWorcesterporcelainfactorywasfoundedin1751.
Theporcelaintheyproducedwassuchhighqualitythat
in1789thefactorywasgivenaRoyalWarrantbyKing
GeorgeIII.
• Thecupisknownasa’teabowl’becauseithasnohandle.
TeaoriginatedintheFarEastandtheyusedteabowlslike
this to drink it.
• Theteabowlissmallbecauseatthetimeitwasmade,tea
wasstillanexpensivecommodity.
• TheWorcesterporcelainfactoryisstillaworkingfactory.It
celebratedits250thanniversaryin2001.
• Thegolddecorationiscalled‘gilt’andisactualgoldleaf
which has been fired onto the porcelain.
Investigating the makers mark
Look for the maker’s mark on the base? Can you describe it?
•
ThemarkonthebaseofbothpiecesistheWorcester‘crescentmark’.
• Thecrescentmarkdatesthesepiecestotheperiodbetween1751and1783whenthe
factorywasownedbyDrJohnWall.
• Anewmarkwasintroducedin1862.Thiswasacrownandcircleandisstillthestandard
Worcester porcelain mark today.
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See
Hold the piece carefully up
to the light and waggle your
fingers behind it. Can you
see your fingers through the
porcelain?
Touch
Hold the teacup by the
handle–doesthismakeit
easier or harder to hold
than a tea bowl?
2. Teacup
•
Think
Look at where the poorly
applied gold border has
wornoff–whydoyou
think it was put on?
Thisisablueandwhiteporcelaintransferprintedteacup.
• ItwasmadebyWedgwood,achinacompanyfoundedin
1759byJosiahWedgwoodI.Thecompanyisstillrunning
today.
• Wedgwoodwasknownas‘thefatherofEnglishpotters’
and the ceramics the company produced are very well
known.
• Wedgwoodproducedporcelainproductslikethisteacup,
butwerebestknownforproducingcreamware,amassproduced,highquality,lightanddurableceramicwhich
wasverypopularastableware.Itwasalsocheapersomore
people could afford to buy it.
• ThedesignshowsaChineselandscape.
• Thegoldgrapevinearoundtheedgeisnotpartofthe
original design and would have been added by someone at
a later date.
Investigating the makers mark
Look for the maker’s mark on the base? Can you describe it?
• ThemarkisaprintedmarkwiththenameWedgwood.
• Wedgwoodstartedtoadddatestotheirmarksafter1860andasthisonedoesnothavea
date,thattellsusthatitwasmadebefore1860.
• Wedgwoodmarkswereusuallyimpressedbutweresometimesprintedonporcelain.This
markwasprintedineitherblue,redorgoldandtellsusthatthepiecedatesfrom1812-22.
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Fab fact!
Stoneware gets its name
because it is so hard it is
like stone.
Stoneware
•
Stonewareisdifferenttoporcelain.Itisopaque,not
translucent.
• Stonewareisavitreousceramic.Vitreousmeans‘likeglass’
and stoneware has a glassy look when it is finished.
• Stonewareisabrowncolourwhenitisundecorated.Forthis
reasonitwasnotashighlyprizedaswhiteporcelain.
• Stonewareisveryheavyforitssize.
• Itissturdy,nonporousanddoesnotchiporscratcheasily
so,likeporcelain,itisperfectfortableware.
• Likeporcelain,stonewarehastobefiredataveryhigh
temperature.Untilthe1750sandtheIndustrialRevolution,
theBritishfactorieswereunabletodothissowere
limited to using earthenware as it can be fired at a lower
temperature.
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See
Look at the chips in the
servingplate–youcansee
the brown colour of the
unpainted stoneware.
a
b
c
d
Touch
You can feel where the
colour has been hand
paintedon-itisraised
slightly from the rest of the
plate.
Think
Some pattern names
include‘Belisarius’and
Napier’. Can you think up a
name for this pattern?
3a - d. Dinner plate, starter plate, tureen
stand and serving plate
•
Theseitemsarepartofacompletedinnerset.
• TheyweremadebyWilliamRidgway,SonandCompanyat
theBellWorksfactoryinShelton,England.
• TheBellWorkswereinBethesdaStreetinSheltonandthis
is now the site of the Potteries Museum.
• Thesearemadefrom‘Imperialstone’whichisatypeof
stoneware.
• ThepatternisinspiredbystylesanddesignsfromChina
andtheFarEastwithvasesandexoticflowers.
• Factoriesproducedmanydifferentpatterns–eachone
with its own name. We don’t know the name of this
pattern.
• Themainbluedesignhasbeenprintedontotheplates
andthecolourhandpaintedontopoftheglaze.
Investigating the makers mark
Look for the maker’s mark on the base? Can you describe it?
• Themarkisaprintedmark,whichincorporatestheinitialsofthecompany(WR.S.&Co)and
tellsuswhatthepiecesaremadefrom(ImperialStone)
• Thismarkdatesthepiecestobetween1838and1848.
• Thethreelargerplatesalsohaveimpressedmarksthatsay‘Improvedstone’.
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See
Look at the range of colours
used.Doyouthinkthey
work well together?
Touch
Compare this plate with
theblueandwhiteBritish
stoneware dish. This one
is much heavier which
indicates a different
manufacturing process.
4. Decorative platter
•
Think
What do you think is
happening in the scene?
Unliketheotheritems,thisplatewasmadeinChina.Itwas
designedforexporttoEurope.
• ItisheavierthanBritishstoneware.
• Becauseoftherangeofcoloursused,thisplatewouldhave
beenhand-paintedratherthanprinted.
• Theplateishighlydecoratedandwasprobablyfordisplay
rather than eating.
• ThedesignisastandardChinesescenethatmayhavebeen
inspired by a scene from an opera or a drama.
• Themotifsaroundtheedgeofthesceneincludebutterflies,
afruitbasket,afanandanexoticbird.
• Differenttechniqueshavebeenusedtocreatearangeof
texturesinthepaint.
Investigating the makers mark
Look for the maker’s mark on the base? Can you describe it?
• Thispaintedmarkthattellsustheplatewasmadebetween1850and1861duringthe
reignofEmperorXianfengintheQingdynasty.
• ThemarkiswritteninZhuanshuwhichisanancienttypeofscript,ratherthaninnormal
Chinese writing.
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See
Can you see the white line
on the rim of the plate
where the transfer didn’t
join up correctly?
Touch
Touch the surface of the
plate. Can you feel the small
bumpsintheglaze?What
do you think caused them?
5. Blue and white dish
•
Think
Masons produced about
90differentpatterns.
What other subjects do
you think might appear
inthepatterns?Dragons?
Flowers?
Thisisatypical‘blueandwhite’dishmadebytheMason
familyofpotters.TheyrantheLaneDelphfactoryin
Staffordshirefromc1800toc1854.
• IthasatypicalChineseinspiredsceneofexoticflowers
andbirds.Thepatterniscalled‘BluePheasants’anddates
fromaround1820.
• Thepatternistransferprinted.
• Thedishismadeform‘Mason’sPatentIronstoneChina’.
This type of pottery was produced to provide a cheap
substituteforChineseporcelain.Itwaspatentedby
Masonsin1813.
• Thename‘IronstoneChina’wasimmediatelyidentifiable.
Itstoodforhighqualityandshowedthatthechinawasas
hard and durable as iron.
Investigating the makers mark
Look for the maker’s mark on the base? Can you describe it?
• ThemarkisthestandardprintedmarkthatappearedonallMasonIronwarefrom1815.
• Thereisalsoanimpressedmark‘mason’sPatentIronstoneChina’whichwasusedfrom
1813.
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Fab fact!
Earthenwareistheoldest
type of ceramic in the
worldandexamples
have been found that are
thousands of years old.
Earthenware
•
ItwasusedbytheEuropeansuntiltheydiscoveredhowto
make stoneware and porcelain.
• Earthenwareiseasiertomakethateitherstonewareor
porcelain because it does not need to be fired at such a
high temperature.
• Earthenware,orpottery,isaporousmaterial.Thismeansit
cannotbeusedtostoreliquidunlessitisglazed.
• Forthisreason,earthenwareisusuallyglazed.Glazeisa
glassy coating that makes an object waterproof.
• Glazecanalsoprotectearthenwarefromdamageasitis
not very strong and is easily scratched.
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See
On the base of two of the
plates you can see where
they were ‘thrown’ (made)
on the potter’s wheel.
Touch
a
b
c
d
Feel the impressed bell
mark.
Think
Look at the designs. Can
you find and identify all of
the plants and animals in
the patterns?
6a – d. Red, blue and green bowls
•
TheseweremadebyJohnandMatthewPerstonBell&
Company,aGlasgowbasedcompanyworkingbetween
1842and1928.
• ThecompanywasthelargestScottishpotterycompany.
• Thebowlsaremadefromearthenware.Theymayhave
been used for food or may have been simply decorative.
• Thetwocolourtransfer-printedpattern,wherethecentral
design and borders are different colours was a design
innovationintroducedbyBells.
• ThebowlsweremadeforexporttosoutheastAsia.
• Thebowlsoftencameinpairswiththesamedesignin
reversed colours.
• Thepatternsonthebowlsincorporatehummingbirds,
butterflies,peacocks,dragonsandlions,vasesofflowers,
palmtrees,cloudsandfeathers.
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Investigating the makers mark
Look for the maker’s mark on the bases? Can you describe it?
• Themarksarestampedmarks.Theyincludeabell-thePerstonBellcompanylogo,the
companyinitials,theregistrationnumberofthedesignandnameofthedesign.
• Thecompanyinitialsinclude‘Ltd’.PerstonBellbecameaLimitedCompanyin1880which
datesthebowlsto1880orlater.
• Designnames:
5a.Bluewithredborder:IkanChina
5b.Redwithblueborder:Kwantung
5c.Greenwithredborder:Makassar
5d.Redwithgreenborder:BurungKupu
• Eachbowlalsohasanimpressedmarkintheshapeofabell.
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See
The shade of blue used in
this bowl is much darker
than in some of the other
items.
Touch
Feel how thick this bowl is
and compare it to the other
blue and white bowls.
7a. Blue and white earthenware dish–
Eastern scene
•
Think
Why do you think this bowl
wasdesignedforexportto
Asia–whereporcelainhad
been produced for centuries
longbeforethetechniques
wereadoptedinEurope?
Thisisa‘blueandwhite’dishmadebyJohnandMatthew
PerstonBell&Company.
• Thedesignistransferprintedinasinglecolour.
• Likethered,blueandgreenbowls,thisonewasalso
designedforexporttoeastAsia.
• Thecentreshowsadragonandabirdwithlargefeathers.
Theborderpatternhasfourframesfilledwithoctopus-like
tentacles. The frames are separated by a scale pattern.
Investigating the makers mark
Look for the maker’s mark on the base? Can you describe it?
• Themarkisastampedmarkwhichhasthecompanylogo(abell)andinitialsaswellasthe
registration number of the design and name of the design.
• ThenameofthedesignisKeelinHong.
• Thecompanyinitialsinclude‘Ltd’.PerstonBellbecameaLimitedCompanyin1880–which
datesthebowlsto1880orlater.
• Thebowlalsohasanimpressedmarkintheshapeofabell.
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See
The elaborate pattern and
different shades of blue
mean that a sophisticated
transfer process would have
been needed.
Touch
Feel the small bumps
around the edge of the
bowl. These are called
scalloped edges.
Think
Veryoften,thepeoplewho
designed the plates had
never been to China and
weredrawingthings,like
thiselephant,thattheyhad
never seen before!
7b. Blue and white earthenware dish–
elephant scene
•
Thisisa‘blueandwhite’transferprinteddish,producedby
theRogerspotteryinDaleHall,Staffordshire.
• Thepatternonthisdishwascalled‘Elephant’bythe
Wedgwood factory when they took over the design in the
late1800s.
• Thedesignshowsamanleadinganelephantinthe
Chinese countryside with pagodas in the background.
• AlthoughthisdishisearthenwareandtheRogerspottery
mainlyproducedearthenware,theyalsodevelopedsemiporcelainandstoneware,improvingthequalityand
delicateness of the body and the printing.
• In1842theRogersPotterypassedtoJamesEdwards.
Edwardsestablisheditasafamilybusiness,which
continuedtotradeatDaleHalluntil1882.
Investigating the makers mark
Look for the maker’s mark on the base? Can you describe it?
• ThemarkisanimpressedmarkwiththenameRogers.
• SomeoftheRogerspotterywasunmarked.
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See
This bowl is very thin like
porcelain but if you hold it
up to the light you
will see that it is not
translucent.
Touch
Feel the weight of the bowl.
Itismuchlighterthan
some of the other
earthenware. Why do you
think this is?
Think
Why do you think the design
incorporatedanEnglish
country scene rather than
a scene inspired by Chinese
landscapes?
7c. Blue and white earthenware dish
country scene
•
Thisisa‘blueandwhite’dishmadebytheDavenport
potteryatLongford,Englandwhichoperatedfrom1793
–1887.Davenportbeganwithearthenwareandstarted
makingporcelainin1815.
• Thedesignistransferprintedbutunliketheotherblue
andwhiteplatesinthiscollection,ithasanEnglish
country scene with two figures and a country house in the
background.
• Wedonotknowthenameofthedesign.
• Davenportmadelargeamountsofunder-glazeblue
transfer printed earthenware and blue varies from a light to
a medium color.
Investigating the makers mark
Look for the maker’s mark on the base? Can you describe it?
• ThemarkisanimpressedmarkwithananchorandthenameDavenport.
• Thisstyleofmarkwasusedbetween1810and1825anddatesthedishtothisperiod.
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See
The grapevine transfer on
the inside edge of the bowl
is similar to the gold one on
the Wedgwood teacup.
Touch
Tap the bowl with your
fingernail.Itgivesoffa
dull ‘clunk’ sound. The
porcelain Wedgwood cup
gives off a light ‘clink’
sound.
Think
You can see where the
transfer ink has run. What do
you think caused this?
8. Earthenware tea bowl
•
Thisisatransferprintedteabowl.
• Thepoorqualityofthetransfersuggeststhatitmayhave
been like a factory second.
• Thedesignshowsputti(wingedchildren)pullingasheep
and a lion.
• Puttiwereapopularfeatureofceramicdecorationinthe
19thcentury.
Investigating the makers mark
Look for the maker’s mark on the base? Can you describe it?
• Thisteabowlisunmarked.
• Inthe1800sthereweresomanyfactoriesproducingsomanyitemslikethisthatsome
didn’t bother to mark them.
• Becausethereisnomarkontheteabowlwedon’tknowwhereitcamefromorwhenit
was made.
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