Studio: international art (2.1894)

Pdte sur Pate

ultimate result, but, in that respect, much has to be
left to the hazards of the firing. Even long ex-
perience cannot enable us to foresee all possible
accidents. As long as the work is in progress all
is equally opaque, but when it has passed through
the oven and undergone partial vitrification, then
only do we become aware of the fact if a deplorable
miscalculation has been made which causes the
dark tint of the ground to show transparency on a
spot where solid white was required. Such mis-
takes will only make their appearance after the
firing, when it is too late to make any alterations.

The body is coloured by adding i to 10 percent,
of metallic oxides, incorporated in the paste by
thorough grinding.

Oxide of cobalt gives the blues; Oxide of chrome
and chromates supply the greens, the browns, the
black, and the pinks ; Tron affords the dark yellows
and the light browns; a stone, naturally coloured
by tron of a bright brick-red colour, found in the
South of France, and consequently sold under the
name of French stone, preserves in the oven the
intensity of its tint; Titanium gives the bright
yellows and light warm browns; Precipitate of
gold yields the pinks ; Uranium, according to the
proportions in which it is employed, supplies the
various tints ranging from light yellow to black.
This oxide is extremely sensitive to the changes in
the conditions of the firing. If a current of air is
allowed to penetrate freely in the oven, it gives a
bright yellow; in the opposite case, that is to say,
in a well-closed oven, the same mixture turns to a
delicate lilac. The influence of an oxidising or
reductive fire is to be obseived, more or less,
upon all metallic oxides.

Nickel gives the greens and the browns. In the
hard porcelain ovens it evaporates partially, and
permeates the whole mass with a warm brown tint.
The effect thus produced is most harmonious,
and has been happily described as resembling
clouds of thick cream in a cup of dark tea.

A curious combination of bichromate of potash
and alumina yields a pink which offers the peculi-
arity of being strongly intensified by artificial light.
When green or blue is added, the pink colour is
quite masked in the daylight; at night, green or
blue disappear in their turn, and the mixture shows
a deep carmine or purple tone. The compound is
commonly known as " artificial ruby."

All the above pigments may, of course, be mixed
together and produce a great variety of tints. A
few more oxides might be added to the list, but the
above ones are the more useful.

Although the " Pate sur Pate " process partakes of

122

the character of both painting and modelling, to be
really effective it must differ entirely in its treat-
ment. The work, only slightly raised upon the
ground, is not to be likened to a bas-relief; lacking
the resources of shading, it cannot be compared
to an enamel painting.

Well-devised transparencies may assist in estab-
lishing the distances between the respective parts
of the picture ; but, besides a good distribution of
thin and thick reliefs, it is most important that all
details should be sharply accentuated, both with
incised lines and neatly raised touches of "slip."
This touching up must be exaggerated to a degree
which, upon any other material, would seem to go
beyond all limits of permitted dryness of workman-
ship. It is, however, the only way of securing
clearness and brilliancy to the details when all is
bathed in a thick coating of transparent glaze.

Whether a painter or a sculptor will succeed the
more quickly in discovering the way of drawing out
of the process all that it may yield under proper
treatment, is a question somewhat difficult to
answer. The painter may give the best share of
his labour to perfecting the outlines, and forget that
happy contrasts of reliefs are equally important; the
modeller, on the contrary, is apt to neglect correct-
ness of contours while looking for sculpturesque
effects; the former does not feel quite at ease with
the chasing tools, the latter may show a want of
dexterity in all parts where brush-work is required.

These remarks will', I fear, puzzle rather than
assist a well-intentioned manufacturer on the look-
out for the best man to whom he might entrust the
care of decorating his ware with " Pate sur Pate."
Moreover, supposing that he happens to meet with
an artist gifted with originality, and equally con-
versant with both branches of the art, a still greater
difficulty remains to be encountered. As such an
artist will much prefer to exercise his talent freely,
to the bent of his fancy, than to cramp his
creative powers in the production of decorated
china, the chances are that the manufacturer will
not succeed in securing his services.

This is probably the reason why so many firms
of note have given up, as unprofitable, the manu-
facture of " Pate sur Pate." After successful trials,
and all the professional secrets mastered, they
discovered to their cost that it does not bear medi-
ocrity of execution, and that it will never compete
with the ordinary decorative processes, which are
less costly and more attractive to the eye of the
buying public. M. L. Solon.

The originals of the illustrations to this articlewere
shown at the late " Arts and Crafts Exhibition."