DOI issue:
Nr. 163 (September, 1910)
DOI article:Saunders, Charles F.: The ceramic art of the Pueblo Indians
DOI Page / Citation link: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.19867#0338
Ceramic Art of the Pueblo Indians
ing a variety of wares of
" " translucency. The glaze,
it consisted of a soft fusible
^^P^ft?^^^1 ^^^'l^, "J*? it, and the glaze needs as
jpP^V^- deed, in China both body
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^■^^^^^B and glaze were almost al-
water jars of san ildefonso and cochite pueblos, with bird ways baked at one firing.
decorations . symbolic or lightness Artificial porcelain, on the
other hand, only bears from
i ioo°-i 1500 Centigrade for
lain, including the output of Meissen, Vienna, Den- the body, and the glaze is melted at a second
mark, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, Holland and firing, only about 1000° For the practised eye it is
Bel gium, France, Italy and Great Britain, with a scarcely possible to mistake true porcelain for arti-
concluding chapter on values, redecoration and for- ficial. Take, for instance, a Chinese teacup and
geries. another of Chelsea ware. The former is hard and
The collector's alphabet begins, says the author, cold to the touch, brilliantly white and glistening,
with the distinction between pottery and porcelain, pure and clear if held against the light; the edge of
The next stage is the distinction between true and the foot rim, which is free from glaze, is of close,
artificial porcelain, popularly called hard paste and compact texture, often slightly browned by the fir-
soft paste. In composition the main distinction lies ing; if a piece is chipped the fracture is vitreous and
in the nature of the fluxing material. True porce- shell-like, and will turn the edge of a knife. The
lain consists of two natural felspathic substances, a colors on the glaze stand out in layers. The Chelsea
non-fusible clay (called by the Chinese kaolin) com- glaze is lustrous, but soft and oily. The ware has
bined with a fusible stone (called petuntse), the lat- a creamy tint and its translucency is faintly tinged
ter melting in the kiln to a glassy material which with yellow. The glaze has run down to the foot
holds the former in suspension and gives the porce- rim and has been ground off, exposing a sandy paste
lain its translucent and vitreous character. The only partially vitrified, the fracture of which is gran-
one is the bones, the other the flesh of the porcelain ular and yields to a knife. Then pass the finger
body. Over this body is a skin of glaze formed of over the painted surface; you feel the glaze only,
pure petuntse, sometimes
softened with a little lime.
This is in the nature of
true porcelain wherever
made, in China, in France,
in Japan. In the case of
artificial, or soft paste, por-
celain, the body is formed
of a natural clay suspended
in a fluxing material arti-
ficially prepared. In the
old artificial porcelains this
flux was a glass or frit
made of sand, lime, flint,
bone ash, soda, etc., the in-
gredients differing at almost sacred meal bowls of san ildefonso and zuni used in religious
every factory and produc- ceremonies, with water and rain symbols
ing a variety of wares of
" " translucency. The glaze,
it consisted of a soft fusible
^^P^ft?^^^1 ^^^'l^, "J*? it, and the glaze needs as
jpP^V^- deed, in China both body
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^■^^^^^B and glaze were almost al-
water jars of san ildefonso and cochite pueblos, with bird ways baked at one firing.
decorations . symbolic or lightness Artificial porcelain, on the
other hand, only bears from
i ioo°-i 1500 Centigrade for
lain, including the output of Meissen, Vienna, Den- the body, and the glaze is melted at a second
mark, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, Holland and firing, only about 1000° For the practised eye it is
Bel gium, France, Italy and Great Britain, with a scarcely possible to mistake true porcelain for arti-
concluding chapter on values, redecoration and for- ficial. Take, for instance, a Chinese teacup and
geries. another of Chelsea ware. The former is hard and
The collector's alphabet begins, says the author, cold to the touch, brilliantly white and glistening,
with the distinction between pottery and porcelain, pure and clear if held against the light; the edge of
The next stage is the distinction between true and the foot rim, which is free from glaze, is of close,
artificial porcelain, popularly called hard paste and compact texture, often slightly browned by the fir-
soft paste. In composition the main distinction lies ing; if a piece is chipped the fracture is vitreous and
in the nature of the fluxing material. True porce- shell-like, and will turn the edge of a knife. The
lain consists of two natural felspathic substances, a colors on the glaze stand out in layers. The Chelsea
non-fusible clay (called by the Chinese kaolin) com- glaze is lustrous, but soft and oily. The ware has
bined with a fusible stone (called petuntse), the lat- a creamy tint and its translucency is faintly tinged
ter melting in the kiln to a glassy material which with yellow. The glaze has run down to the foot
holds the former in suspension and gives the porce- rim and has been ground off, exposing a sandy paste
lain its translucent and vitreous character. The only partially vitrified, the fracture of which is gran-
one is the bones, the other the flesh of the porcelain ular and yields to a knife. Then pass the finger
body. Over this body is a skin of glaze formed of over the painted surface; you feel the glaze only,
pure petuntse, sometimes
softened with a little lime.
This is in the nature of
true porcelain wherever
made, in China, in France,
in Japan. In the case of
artificial, or soft paste, por-
celain, the body is formed
of a natural clay suspended
in a fluxing material arti-
ficially prepared. In the
old artificial porcelains this
flux was a glass or frit
made of sand, lime, flint,
bone ash, soda, etc., the in-
gredients differing at almost sacred meal bowls of san ildefonso and zuni used in religious
every factory and produc- ceremonies, with water and rain symbols