Some years ago the Copenhagen potters made a very considerable success in their revival of the Greek vase, both plain and painted in black, with Greek figures of horses, warriors, women, etc. ([Fig. 54]). These have had for the last ten years a large sale; and as we cannot have the real Greek vases because of their scarcity and price, it is well to have some examples so well copied as these are. But there is a limit to one’s capacity for copies of Greek vases, and it seems positive that we have reached it. We hope so. Ipsen’s widow sent us some of the yellow vases and pots, most delicately and delightfully painted with the lotus and other Egyptian designs, which for subtilty of color and precision of touch cannot be surpassed. These we were glad to see our people buying, and not the other.
Among much that was commonplace, there were many examples of good work in the department of unglazed pottery. It would have been a great satisfaction to have met with more which showed courage and freshness of design. While the public are not so responsive to these as one could wish, there is still enough to encourage potters and designers in this direction, if they will only believe it.
CHAPTER IV.
GLAZED POTTERY.—GRÈS DE FLANDRE, FRENCH, GERMAN, ETC.
Definition of Glaze.—Varnish.—Enamel in Egypt, Babylon.—The Arabs and the Moors.—Grès de Flandre.—Cologne, Regensburg, Baireuth, Neuwied, Grenzhausen, Coblentz.—Holland.—Beauvais.—Flanders.—Apostle-Mugs.—Graybeards.—“Bellarmines.”—“Pottle-Pots.”—Modern Work.—Doulton Stone-ware.—Early German Stone-ware at Breslau.—Hirschvogel.—Nuremberg.
BEFORE saying anything about the various styles of glazed pottery, it may be well to give the definitions of glaze, as presented by Marryatt, thus:
“Glaze (Glauçure, Vernis, Fr.).—The composition used for coating pottery is composed chiefly of lead and silex. That for porcelain is analogous to flint-glass (whence the derivation glassing or glazing). In fact, this term may be applied to any substance that covers the surface of the piece; as, for instance, that produced by the decomposition of salt on stone-ware. M. Brongniart classes the different kinds of glazing, or vitreous substances with which pottery is covered when finished, into three kinds:
“ ‘Varnish.—Every vitrifiable substance, transparent and plumbiferous, which melts at low temperature, generally inferior to that required for the baking of the paste: common pottery, fine earthen-ware.
“ ‘Enamel.—A vitrifiable substance, opaque, generally stanniferous (tin): majolica and common earthen-ware.
“ ‘Couverte.—A vitrifiable substance, earthy, which melts at a high temperature equal to that of the baking of the paste: hard porcelain, some stone-wares....’
“The mark caused by the absence of glaze is very apparent in Oriental porcelain, the bottom edge being rough and sandy. This defective appearance is obviated in Europe by supporting the piece upon a tripod with very small points (prenettes, Fr.). The three ugly marks upon old Chelsea china are caused by the clumsy tripod which was employed.”