178
CHINA PATNT1NG
A Practical Manual
For the Use of Amateurs in the Decoration of Hard Porcelain
By
M, LOUISE MCLAUGHLIN.
NEW EDITION.
TWENTY-FlfcST THOUSAND,
CINCINNATI:
THE ROBERT CLARKE COMPANY.
1911.
Copyright 1877, 1883, 1894. 1904,
BY M. LOUISE McLAUGHLIN.
Copyright
STEWART & KID'D CO.
CONTENTS.
PAGE
INTRODUCTION, v
CHAP, i Preparing the Design, ... 9
2 General Directions for Painting, , , 12
3 Composition of Palettes for various Styles
of Painting, .... 20
4 Tinted Grounds, 44
5 Mat Colors, ..... 52
6 Other Pigments and Mediums^ . . 59
7 Burnishing, ..... 64
8 Paste for Raised Gold, ... 68
9 General Remarks on Decoration, . 73
10 The Importance of Drawing, . . 81
ii Technique, . 86
12 Designs, 92
13 Lessons to be derived from Japanese Art, 100
14 Preparing Gold and Silver for the Decora-
tion of Porcelain, . . . 105
15 Use of Metallic Paints upon Porcelain, 112
1 6 Lettering, 119
17 Use of Relief Colors, . . . 125
18 Firing, ....*. 132
"Success depends on knowing how to be patient ', how to
endure drudgery, how to unmake and remake, Jww to recom-
mence and continue without allowing the tide of anger or the
flight of the imagination to arrest or divert the daily effort.
H. TAINE.
The art of painting on china is certainly a
beautiful one, and is, perhaps, peculiarly fitted to
be an agreeable pastime for persons of leisure.
There is, however, too general a tendency to
consider it simply in the light of an amusement,
ur worthy of serious study, and an art for the
practice of which no special training or knowl-
edge is necessary.
Now, what is worth doing at all is worth doing
well, and the idea that one can successfully prac-
tice any branch of art without having previously
learned to draw is false. The eye and hand
must be trained, and the taste cultivated, before
any result worthy of the name can be achieved.
The best foundation for any art-work is a
INTRODUCTION.
thorough knowledge of drawing ; and the time
tpcnt in acquiring such knowledge will never be
regretted* It is true that there are methods of
decorating china with simple designs, which may
be accomplished by those unskilled in the use of
the pencil or brush ; yet, as the hand of the master
is revealed in the most careless sketch, so the
want of skill or freedom of touch is apparent in
the treatment of the simplest subject.
To those who have the time and patience, as
well as the natural ability to learn to draw, we
would say : Make it your first business to ac-
quire that knowledge. Cultivate your taste by
study of the best models; -educate the eye to
perceive beautiful forms in nature or art, and
tite hand to transcribe them.
Painting on china, may not offer the same fa
ditties for the truthful rendering of nature as
oil or water-color painting, but it has other com
pensating advantages in the beauty of the enamel;
tad the enduring qualities of the pigments, when
fixed by the fire.
With the present greatly increased facilities
INTRODUCTION. Vll
afforded by the improvements in the manufac
ture of colors, china painting should regain
something of its former prestige among the arts
In other times the greatest artists exercised their
art upon this material, which, seemingly so frail,
has preserved their work unharmed for ages,
A revival of the art, however, can not be ex*
pected from a servile copying of the old designs
and methods. As well might the artists of the
modern school have expected to arrive at their
present knowledge of technique by copying the
pictures of Durer or Van Eyck.
There will be no true revival of any branch
of art unless founded upon study of nature and
the adaptation of her principles to design, and
there will likewise be no advance possible to the
individual art student without this study and
practice.
This study brings with it its own reward in
the cultivation of what has been called the artistic
sense, which, in the words of Thackeray, reveals
* c splendors of nature, to vulgar sights invisible,
and beauties manifest in forms, colors, shad-
rni
INTRODUCTION.
ows of common objects, where most of the world
saw only what was dull, and gross, and familiar*
One reads in the magic story-books of a charm
or a flower which the wizard gives, and which
enables the bearer to see the fairies. O enchant-
ing boon of nature, which reveals to the pos-
sessor the hidden spirits of beauty round about
him spirits which the strongest and most gifted
masters compel into painting or song! To
others it is granted but to have fleeting glimpses
of that fair art-world, and tempted by ambition,
or barred by faint-heartedness, or driven by
necessity., to turn away thence to the vulgar life-
track and the light of common day/'
CHAPTER I.
PREPARING THE DESIGN,
In commencing to paint a design on china,
the first thing to be done, of course, is to sketch
the outline. The best way to do this is to pre-
pare the china by rubbing the surface with spirits
of turpentine > and, after having left it a few mo-
ments to dry, draw the design upon it very
lightly with a hard lead pencil
Alcohol may also be used for the same pur-
pose, and has the advantage, that it is not so li-
able to catch the dust. The surface, however,
does not receive the marks of the lead pencil so
well as when it is prepared with turpentine.
Lithographic crayon may also be used, and with-
out any preparation, but the outline is not so
delicate as that drawn with the lead pencil*
If the subject is a difficult one, as for instance,
a design containing several figures, time may be
(9)
1O CHINA PAINTING.
saved and liability to error avoided by tracing
the design, which insures the correct relative posi-
tion of the figures, and tends to produce the ob-
ject desired, a correct copy of the original. It
5s better, however, to sketch simpler subjects
directly upon the china.
It is commonly supposed that a tracing is of
great assistance to any one unskilled in drawing,
but if one is unable to draw a correct outline,
it is hardly possible that the painting will be
better. It is so very easy to lose the outline in
working, that, after all, a tracing is but a slight
indication, which has, for its principal use,
the placing of the design in exactly the right
position on the plate or other object to be decor-
ated.
There are various ways of tracing ; the sim-
plest and beat of which is the following : Lay a
piece of transparent paper over the design to be
copied, and trace the outlines very carefully with
& hard lead pencil, then turn the tracing paper
over on any white surface, and go over all the
lines on the reverse side with a soft pencil You
PREPARING THE DESIGN. I I
can now lay the tracing, right side up, on the
china, which has been previously prepared for
the lead pencil with turpentine, and having
placed it in exactly the right position, secure it
by means of bits of modelling wax or gummed
paper at the corners, and pass over the lines with
a hard point, or rub the entire surface with a
rounded instrument. The handle of the palette
knife may be used for this purpose. This will
transfer the pencil drawing to the surface of the
china.
The more delicate the outline the better, pro-
vided it is plainly visible, as a heavy, dark or
colored outline sullies the colors used upon it,
and causes much annoyance in working. Al-
though it may disappear in the firing, it is better
iio avoid it. Faulty lines in the tracing may be
rectified by the use of a sharpened stick of soft
wood moistened with turpentine.
CHAPTER II.
GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR PAINTING.
These directions are confined to the use of
enamel colors on hard porcela'a. This material
is suitable for every style, and as the painting is
done on the glaze, is capable of receiving the
highest degree of finish.
A plate or flat plaque is the best subject for a
beginner, as it is more easily managed than cups
or other articles with rounded surfaces.
As stated before, the colors in tubes are es-
pecially to be recommended to the novice.
l r the powdered colors are used, however, the
powder should be well rubbed down with a little
oil of turpentine and thinned with the spirits of
turpentine, a saucer of which should be kept on
the table while working, and used in the same
way that water is used in water-color painting
for diluting the paint and washing the brushes,
(12)
GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR PAINTING. 13
If the tube colors are used, it ^11 simply be
necessary to dilute them with turpentine. If
they are difficult to lay, a drop or so of oil of
turpentine may be added to the spirits of tur*
pentine. Care should be taken, however, to
avoid an excess of oil, as it renders the colors
liable to blister in the fire.
The use of clove oil as a medium is advised
by some. The color can perhaps be more easily
laid with it than with spirits of turpentine. It
does not dry so quickly, however, and unless
recourse is had to the process of drying the work
with the aid of an alcohol lamp, its use involves
tedious waiting. Others recommend oil of lav-
ender* For my own part, I think the use of
spirits of turpentine decidedly preferable, as in
that case no time need be lost in waiting for the
work to dry, and it is possible to finish a paint-
ing in one sitting.
The drying of the colors is affected by
the state of the atmosphere. Statements, there*
fore, that are founded on the usage of foreign
painters, with reference to this point, are prac
14 CHINA FAINTING.
tically of little value here, as the difference in
cHmate changes the conditions under which the
work is executed.
IF during the progress of the painting it is
found to be difficult to work over the colors first
laid, which are indeed very liable to come up,
the piece of china may be placed in a moderately
warm oven, to dry, before proceeding. On
being taken out of the oven, the colors will be
found to have lost their gloss, if perfectly dry,
and perhaps will have changed their hue. No
alarm need be felt at this, as they will return to
their former brilliancy when fired*
Some china painters disapprove altogether of
any rapid method of drying, and only advise
that the work be laid aside until dry, others
dry it by means of an alcohol lamp, If you use
spirits of turpentine as a medium, however,
the part first done will, as a general thing, be-
come dry enough to work over while you are
engaged on other portions of the design. "
A second resael containing turpentine should
be fcept OB the working taMe, for the
GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR PAINTING- 15
washing the brushes, especially when the same
one is used for various colors.
After using a color containing iron, the brush
should be carefully washed before it is charged
with one which does not contain iron, or if white
is to be used.
The brushes ought not to be too small, and the
colors should, as far as possible, be laid in broad
washes, and decided touches placed lightly and
quickly and not overworked. The use of the
blender may be resorted to if necessary, especi-
ally in laying the first washes, although it is
better to avoid it afterward if possible.
The same rules may be applied to china paint-
ing as to water-colors, to which it bears a close re-
semblance. The greatest art consists in placing
each touch where it should go and leaving it, not
spoiling it by uncertainty or degrading the tint
by overwork. In fine work, lining and stippling
are necessary in finishing, but should not be car-
ried to excess or made too apparent, These latter
processes are, perhaps, more indispensable in
preparing work for a single firing, as it is very
1 6 CHINA PAINTING.
difficult to lay repeated washes over one another,
the under tint comes up so readily, especially
when it is not thoroughly dry.
The same place must never be passed over by
the brush twice in immediate succession, as the
under tint will certainly come up, and the blot
caused in the painting will be difficult to rectify.
It is of no use to attempt it while it is wet;
work on some other part and then go over it,
or first dry it in the oven.
Some of the tube colors may require to be
rubbed down after being taken from the tubes,
This will be especially necessary in the case of
the carmines and whites. A horn or ivory pa-
lette knife should be used with these colors, as
well as with the blues, and all colors containing
no iron. Mixtures of colors on the palette may
be rubbed down occasionally or mixed with the
brush before using, to prevent them from sepa-
rating themselves into their component parts.
Too much turpentine should not be taken
into the brush when it is to be charged with
color. Dip it into the turpentine, and, remove
GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR PAINTING. IJ
the surplus moisture by drawing the brush over
the edge of the vessel containing it, before taking
up the color from the palette. The tint may be
tried first on the edge of the plate. Surplus color
or moisture may be removed by touching the
brush upon a muslin rag, which should al-
ways be at hand for the purpose of wiping the
brushes.
After using, the brushes should be washed in
alcohol. The bottle containing it must be kept
tightly corked, as it evaporates very quickly when
exposed to the air. Care must be taken that no
drops of the alcohol fall upon the painting, as
it will immediately remove the colors from the
surface. When the large brushes are cleaned,
after being washed in the alcohol, the hairs
should be spread apart, and the fingers passed
lightly over them until they are dry; otherwise,
the hairs may stick together in drying, and the
brush be rendered unfit for use. Washing in
alcohol will prevent the turpentine used in paint-
ing from injuring the brushes, as it would if al-
lowed to remain in them.
jg CHINA PAINTING,
As a general rule, the shadows should be
painted a little darker than they are to appear
when finished, as they are liable to become lighter
in the firing,
Dust floating in the atmosphere is very annoy-
ing, as it attaches itself so readily to the painting
while in progress. The moist color settles
around these particles and forms spots on the
work which may not disappear in the firing.
This should be avoided as far as possible. If it
should happen, however, that any particles fall
upon the painting, they may be removed with
the point of a needle. This instrument will also
be found useful for removing surplus color,
when desired.
The tube colors should be preserved from heat
as far as possible. If they become dry in the
course of time, which should not be before they
have been kept a year, at least, the other end of
the tube may be opened, and the color taken out
with the palette knife, and rubbed down with tur
pen tine. It would be well to change the position
GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR PAINTING. ig
of the tubes lying in the box, occasionally, to
prevent the color separating from the oils
with which it is mixed. The tops should also be
screwed on very tight, as the p*.int is liable to
run out.
CHAPTER III.
COMPOSITION OF PALETTES FOR VARIOUS STYLES
OF FAINTING.
In the following pages will be found lists of
colors and mixtures to be used for the various
subjects which may be painted on china.
I do not wish to be understood as saying that
these are the only combinations that can be used,
or that they are the best, but simply that in my
own experience they have produced the desired
results.
Each artist has his own method of making up
his palette. The liberty of choice enjoyed in
mixing oil or water colors is, however, some-
what abridged in china painting by the chemical
changes produced by the action of the fire, which
forbids mixtures which would be quite innocent
in either of the former mediums.
The following palettes are, however, suggested
COMPOSITION OP PALETTES. 21
for the benefit of those unfamiliar with the use
of enamel colors as combinations which may be
relied upon to produce the results attributed to
them.
I have endeavored to limit the number of
colors as far as possible, believing that where one
color will produce the desired effect, the mention
of half a dozen only confuses the student. The
difficulty of indiscriminate mixing, referred to
before, renders a greater number of colors nec-
essary in china painting than in oil or water
colors* Yet, as in those branches of art, it is
better to have a limited palette, and learn its full
capacity, than to become involved in the in-
tricacies of one embracing more colors, but
producing combinations less likely to har-
monize* It is certainly less confusing, and leads
to more thorough knowledge, for a beginner to
use few colors, and comprehend perfectly how
effects are produced.
It will be proper to introduce here a classifica-
tion of the colors used in china painting, which
CHINA PAINTING.
will lead to an understanding of the way in which
they may be mixed.
M. Lacroix, from whose work the following
is adapted, has classified the colors with regard to
iron, which plays an important part in the com
position of many of them.
First Group. Colors without iron the whites
blues, and the gold colors.
Second Group. Colors containing but little
iron "-yellows and greens.
Third Group. Colors whose base is iron the
reds, flesh reds, red browns, iron violets, the
browns, brown yellows, ochres, blacks, and most
of the greys.
In the first class, the colors whose base is gold
are the carmines, carmine lake, the purples, and
the golden violets-
The foundation of these colors is purple of
cassius, which is made of gold and tin. It gives
tints which vary from lilac to dark viole*. Mod-
ified by silver and different fluxes, it producer
carmines and purples.
If the carmines are fired at too low a tempera-
COMPOSITION OF PALETTES.
ture, the silver predominates and the color takes
a dirty yellow tint. If, on the contrary, the
temperature is too high, the shade of silver is
completely destroyed, and the carmine changes
to lilac. This effect does not exist in the purples
to the same degree. Carmine will also take a
yellowish tint in the firing if applied very thickly.
The blues, with rare exceptions, owe their
color to cobalt. As the mixture of cobalt and
iron gives tints varying from light grey to black,
according to the proportions, it is well to take
great precaution when using the blues with the
reds, flesh colors, browns, and ochres.
The brushes which have been used with these
colors should also be carefully washed before
using for a blue of which a pure tint is desired.
Care should be observed in the use of the yel-
lows, some of which cause the colors mixed with
them to disappear entirely in the fire. This effect
is seen where too much ivory yellow is mixed
with red.
Mixing yellow and jonquil yellow do not con-
tain iron, and are preferable, therefore, for mix-
24 CHINA PAINTING.
ing with the blues to obtain fresh greens. Other
yellows containing iron should, on the contrary,
be used with the iron colors.
The color called silver yellow does not contain
silver; it is composed of jonquil and orange
yellows. It mixes readily with the gold colors,
also with iron violet, and sometimes with reds.
Coral color can not be used in painting, on
account of its extreme sensibility to the fire,
#hich at a high temperature will sometimes change
it to yellow.
Most of the browns owe their tints to the
mixture of cobalt and iron. They frequently
contain zinc also. The yellow browns and ochres
are generally produced by a mixture of iron and
zinc.
"" i he best blacks are usually made of cobalt and
iron, like the browns, only in the former the
cobalt predominates.
AH the greys, with the exception of platina
grey* are made by mixing colors of the different
groups blacks, blues, and reds, according to the
tints required*
COMPOSITION OF PAtETTES.
Greys may also be obtained in painting by
mixing complementary colors the reds and
greens, yellows and violets (those composed of
carmine and blue). Grey may also be made by
mixing one-third ivory black with two-thirds sky
blue. Wherever black is used very thinly to form
a grey tint, it should be mixed with a little blue.
Black used alone, in thin washes, is sometimes
found to rub off after the firing.
Some colors require more heat for their fusion
than others. These are called hard colors.
As the flux, joined to the coloring oxide in the
manufacture of the colors, lightens the tint, it
follows that those containing less flux viz. the
dark colors are harder than the light colors.
The lighter and more fusible colors, though
burning in the same time, are the bleu del clair
(light sky blue) ; carmin tendre y A (soft carmine,
&,) ; the gris perle (pearl grey) ; gris roux (reddish
grey), and the jaune tfivoirt (ivory yellow),
I hese colors should not be applied too thickly,
as they will be liable to scale in firing. "*
If by any means the painting should not have
26 CHINA PAINTING.
received sufficient glaze in the firing, the glaze
may be restored by applying a light wash of one
of the more fusible colors, and firing the piece
again. For mixtures of brown or reddish tones
a very light wash of fusible grey may be used.
The blanc Jixc (permanent white) and other
opaque compounds are seldom employed in
painting on hard porcelain, their use being lim-
ited to little touches or spots, for heightening
the effect in jewels or embroidery, or for the
highest light in white flowers or drapery.
It would be better before beginning to paint
with the china colors, to arrange, upon a plate of
the kind of china you wish to use, samples of
the different colors and mixtures, carefully
marked. This, after it has been fired, will be of
great assistance for reference in using the colors.
PAIHTING IN MONOCHROME.
Painting in this style, en camaieu, as it is called
by the French, has a very pleasing effect on
china, and, as it is somewhat easier than that in
COMPOSITION OF PALETTES. 27
which various colors are used, may be recom-
mended to the beginner, especially if unfamiliar
with the use of oil or water colors.
Paintings en camaleu may be made in almost
any color. The easiest to use for this purpose
are, probably, violet dt fer (iron violet) or brun
rouge riche (deep red brown). Sepia may also
be easily employed with good effect.
Monochromes in pink and blue are very
pretty ; but the colors are rather more difficult
to use.
Carmine may be used for pink monochromes.
The tint, however, is likely to be affected differ-
ently by the fire, where it is laid on thinly or the
contrary. It is difficult in using this color, to
have two pieces intended to match fired with the
same tint.
Pourpre ricke (deep purple) may also be used, 4
with less risk of having the tint altered by the
fire
CHINA PAINTING.
PALETTES FOR FLOWER PAINTING.
Colors Required.
t) No. 5, pr& Grass green.
Vert > No. 6, brun Brown green.
Vert* No. 7, noir Black green.
Pert pomme Apple green.
Jaune Z mtler Mixing yellow.
Jaune jonquille Jonquil yellow.
Jaune orangi Orange yellow.
Bleu ceil azur Sky blue,
Bleu rich* Deep blue.
Carminey No. 3, fond Dark carmine.
Paurpre ricbe Deep purple.
Violet if or Golden violet.
Rouge cap%uine Capucine red.
Rouge erangt Orange red.
Brun rouge riche Deep red brown.
Rouge chair, No. a Flesh red, No. 2,
In laying on the first washes> for a flower, tht
strokes of the brush should proceed from the
COMPOSITION OF PALETTES- 29
circumference to the center, and for a leaf, from
the central vein to the edge. In painting
grasses or parallel-veined leaves the stroke should
be made from the top to the bottom of the leaf.
After the design is prepared, lay in first the local
tints of the various parts, so that they may be
dry by the time you wish to paint the shadow
Do this with flat, broad washes, blending them
with a small brush, if necessary. By the time
the last of these washes has been placed the part
nrst done will be ready for the shading.
The centers of flowers should be painted di-
rectly on the china. Any adjacent colors which
may infringe upon the outline must be scraped
or wiped off.
On white grounds the painting should be rather
light, to avoid a hard effect, and on dark colored
grounds, correspondingly dark, to avoid we-tk-
ness.
FOLIAGE.
For the local tint use vert, No. 5, pre (grass
green). Blue may be added if a bluish green
is desired, or, if a yellow green, it may be made
3O CHINA PAINTING*
by the addition of jaunt & mtler (mixing yellow)
or jaunc jonguilte (jonquil yellow), if a more
brilliant tint is desired.
Vert brun (brown green) may be used for the
shadows, mixed with grass green, using more
of the former as the shadow deepens. A small
quantity of dark blue may also be added to
darken and subdue the tint.
Vtrt^ No. 7, noir (black green) may be used in
some cases for very dark shadows* but should be
employed with great care, as it is a color of great
intensity.
Carmine and purple may be used with greens,
when greyish shadows are required.
Greens may also be shaded with brown. Brun
4 fonti (dark brown) may be used also for touches
of brown. For red touches on leaves, etc., violet
d* fer (iron violet) may be employed.
FLOWERS.
For white flowers the surface of the china'
*br*n$ the local tint. For the shadows a grey
COMPOSITION OF PALETTES*
made of black with the addition of a very small
quantity of blue may be used, or any of the other
greys previously mentioned. Gris noir (black
grey) is a bluish grey of great intensity, which
must be used with great care, especially in mix-
tures with reds and yellows.
The highest lights may be touched with blanc
fixt (permanent white) or blanc chinois (Chi-
nese white).
Yellow flowers may be painted with jaune
m'eler (mixing yellow) or jaune jonquille (jonquil
yellow) and shaded with vert brun (brown green).
When touched with brownish red, violet de fer
(iron violet) may be used.
For blue flowers either of the blues may be
used according to the tint desired. They may
be shaded with the black or gris noir (black grey).
Some colors, such as that of the common pale
blue morning-glory, may require the addition
of a little carmine.
Pink flowers may be painted with carmine, and
shaded with a grey made of carmine and vert
pomme (apple green).
CHINA PAINTING.
Dark crimson may be made with pourpre ricbe
(deep purple), shaded with the same.
Dark purple flowers can be painted with pourpre
ritkt (deep purple), and bleu rube (deep blue),
adding more or less of the blue, according as the
color desired is more purple or crimson. They
should be shaded with the same colon This
mixture forms a tint of great intensity. Violet
for (golden violet) may also be used for purple
flowers, with the addition of bleu riche (deep blue),
when desired*
For red flowers there are rouge capucine (capu-
cine red), rouge orangi (orange red), brun rouge
riche (deep red brown), or rouge chair (flesh red)
They may be shaded with the same tint used for
the lights, and by the addition of black, brown,
or violet de f&r (iron violet), according to the
color desired.
Yellow centers of flowers may be painted with
mixing yellow, shaded with brown green, and
touched with sepia or heightened with jonquil or
orange yellow.
When floral designs are painted from na-
COMPOSITION OF PALETTES. 33
cure, it would, perhaps, be better to make
the studies in water-colors. The painting can
then be executed on the china with more free-
dom.
Designs in water-colors are better suited for
reproduction on china than when painted in oil
colors, as the former method bears a much closer
resemblance to china-painting.
The flowers should be arranged in a careless,
graceful manner. A design occupying one side
of a plate, for instance, and straying over into
the border, will be more pleasing than one placed
directly in the center. Grasses may accompany
the flowers with good effect, and are so easy to
paint that they may be recommended to the be-
ginner as good subjects for the first studies from
nature.
BUTTERFLIES.
Butterflies form a very pretty accompaniment
to flowers on china. They should be painted in
positions as natural as possible. After the sketch
34 CHINA PAINTING.
is made the black markings and veining of the
wings should be painted with noir cTivoirc (ivory
black), and afterward the intermediate spaces
filled up with the proper colors. For brown
butterflies, sepia may be used. Take jaune a
mtfer (mixing yellow) for the common yellow
butterfly^ and shade with <oert brun (brown green)
PALETTE FOR LANDSCAPES.
Colors Required.
s No. 5, pr Grass green.
t^ No. 6 y brun Brown green.
Vert pomme Apple green.
Vert noir Black green.
Elm del ou azur Sky blue.
Bl&t ritke Deep blue.
Vert bleu riche Deep blue green.
Brun^ q.fonci Dark brown.
Brun s$pi& Sepia.
J&une i<v9ire Ivorv yellow.
** * <r
Jaxnt & miltr Mixing yellow.
Carmine, No. 3, fontf Dark carmine
JVmr d^iiwre Ivory black.
COMPOSITION OF PALETTES. 35
Sketch lightly with a hard lead pencil. Wash
in the sky with bleu del (sky blue) and blend it.
Clouds should be taken out before it dries.
This may be done by wiping off the color with
a cloth. To prevent it from drying too quickly
the color used for the sky might be mixed with
a little more oil.
Shadows of the clouds may be painted with a
grey made of ivory black and sky blue. If a
yellowish tint is desired for the lighter parts,
jaune tFivoire (ivory yellow) may be used.
The distance can be painted with vert pommt
(apple green) and carmine, allowing the apple
green to predominate.
For a tint more purple, <vert bleu richt (deep
blue green) may be used with carmine.
For nearer parts, take apple green subdued
with *vert noir (black green), or vert brun (brown
green).
These tints must all be applied very delicately.
The trunks of trees and particularly any
branches relieved against the sky may now be
sketched in with brun^ ^.-fonct (dark brown).
36 CHINA PA1HTIHG.
The foliage should be painted with short,
broad touches, to give the proper effect. For
the highest lights, when the color is yellow green,
use ivr/, No. 5, pr'e (grass green) and jaunt %
mcltr (mixing yellow). For the middle tints,
grass green alone. Shadows may be made with
the addition of vert brun (brown green).
A good tint for the dark shadows can be made
from grass green subdued with brown green and
a little deep blue*
Black green is a good color for very intense
tints, but must be used sparingly.
Water may be painted with apple green and
sky blue ; also, with vert bleu riche (deep blue
green) applied delicately. For reflections of
trees, use black green heightened with grass
green.
For earth, ochre, or any of the lighter browns,
such as yellow brown, or sepia, may be used,
subdued with black.
COMPOSITION OF PALETTES. 37
PALETTE FOR HEADS OR FIGURES.
Colors Required*
Rouge chair^ No. 2 Flesh red, No. 2.
Brun rouge riche Deep red brown.
Jaune d* moire Ivory yellow.
Bleu del ou azur Sky blue.
Noir d'ivoire Ivory black.
Brun 4 fond Dark brown.
Brun Sifia Sepia,
METHOD OF PAINTING A HEAD,
Sketch the design very lightly with a hard lead
pencil. If you have difficulty in preserving a
pencil outline while working on it, the sketch
may be made in water colors, or with an enamel
color mixed with water. This has the advan-
tage, that it will allow you work over it without
coming up. Take any reddish color and make a
very delicate outline with the brusfc.
For the background, mix about one-third noir
38 CHINA PAINTING.
tfivoirt (ifory black) with two-thirds bleu del
(sky blue). With this mixture commence by
washing in the background lightly, making it
darker near the head and lighter toward the outer
edges, where, when blended, it should lose itself
in the white of the china. This tint should be
laid very rapidly, leaving the outer edge in ir-
regular, cloud-like masses. The color should be
rather oily, so that it will blend better. You will
hardly be able, however, to put in more than
one-half before it is ready to blend, if the head
is of any size. It can, however, be readily joined
above the head where the tint is light. By the
time you have washed in one-half your back-
ground, it will then be ready to blend, if the color
has not been used too wet, and you can proceed
to level the tint with a medium-sized blender.
Be particularly careful to soften the edges into
an insensible gradation toward the white surface.
If you have not been quick enough, and your
background has become too dry for this, you
will have fo wipe it out and begin over again,
using a little more oil with the colors.
COMPOSITION OF PALETTES, 39
The other side of the background is finished
in the same way, care being taken that the junc-
ture with the side already done should show as
little as possible.
You may then proceed to the flesh tint. For
this take one-third rouge chair No. i (flesh red
No. a), and mix it with two-thirds jaune cPwoire
(ivory yellow). Be careful not to take too much
of the yellow, as, if an excess of it is used, it
will devour the red when fired. The tint will,
of course, be made dark or light, according to
the complexion desired. With this tint wash in
the local color of the face and neck, carefully
passing around your tracing if it is in pencil. It
will probably be necessary to blend this tint,
using a small brush.
You should be careful not to cover so large a
surface with this wash that it will dry before you
have time to blend it. The whole of the face
should be done at once if possible, as otherwise
it will be difficult to hide the juncture.
The local tini of the hair may then be washed
tu, and that of any drapery which may be col-
CHINA FAINTING.
ored. Leaving this part of the work to dry,
you may now return to the background, which
will now, probably, be dry enough to work ovei^
with care.
If it should not be dry enough, the piece may
be put into the oven a few moments to dry the
first washes*
Work over the background with cross hatch-
ings of the tint previously used, taking a mod-
erately large brush* and making the lines rather
broad, not too long, and very slightly curved.
Form in this way a shading in the background,
beginning very lightly inside the edge of the first
wash, and proceeding with an insensible gradation
toward the center, darkening it in this way around
the head, according as you wish a dark or light
background, Where it is suitable, a light back*
ground seems to have the most pleasing effect
upon the white ground, and is also less difficult
to paint
In working over the tints first laid, be very
careful not to have your brush too wet, as that
will cause the under color to come up. The
COMPOSITION OF PALETTES. 41
damage thus done is very difficult to repair. This
will not be so likely to happen if the work has
been dried in the oven.
After the background proceed to the face. For
cne shadow tint mix one-third noir tTivoirc (ivory
black), one-third bleu ^V/(sky blue), and one-third
rouge chair, No. a, (flesh red, No. 2). Be care-
ful not to have too much blue, as that will give
the shadows too green a tint in the firing, although
it will not show previously. More of the flesh
color may be added when you wish to lighten the
shadows, or when a more ruddy tint is desired.
The features may be outlined delicately with this
shadow tint, and then the masses of shadow
should be placed. Put them as nearly as pos-
sible in their proper places, with a very light
touch, and without blending if possible.
It may probably be necessary to blend the
edges, and the darker portions should, perhaps,
be lined and stippled in the finishing. Before
the shadows are completed, the cheeks and lips
may be touched with brun rouge rich* (deep red
brown), used very delicately. This color is rather
42 CHINA PAINTING*
intensified than otherwise by the fire, and al-
though it is an excellent tint for this purpose, it
must be used with care.
The lips may be shaded with a little black
mixed with the red brown, or with violet defer
(iron violet)* The nostrils may also be delicately
touched with this color, but should be darkened
with the shadow color of the flesh.
The eyebrows and eyes should now be painted,
the eyebrows with a light tint, corresponding to
the local color of the hair, and the shadow color
to be used in the hain Blend them naturally
into the flesh color with delicate lines and shad-
ings. The eyes may be painted with bleu ctel
(sky blue) shaded with black,or with brown shaded
with black, if dark. The spot of reflected light
on the eye may be left the white of the china, or
touched with permanent white.
White may be employed for such purposes as
this, or for pearls, to imitate embroidery or lace,
and for the highest lights in white drapery, but
must be used with care. It seems rather liable
to spread in the firing, and sometimes to blister.
COMPOSITION OF FALETTFS. 43
But to continue if the hair is dark, take
krun> No. 4, fond (dark brown) and shade
it with black mixed with the brown; or, if
light, use yellow brown, or sepia, subdued with
black. If very light, ivory yellow can be used
for the first wash, and left for the highest lights,
shaded with sepia and black. The touches of
the brush in making the hair should be fine
strokes, outlining and giving direction to the
masses. The hair should never be blended*
These finishing touches of the hair, as well as
those on the face, should be done with a fine
brush. After the various parts have been
brought to about the same degree of finish,
they should be gone over again, and be
brought together up to the highest degree of
finish possible to the painter. It is well to know
when to stop, however, as overworking is as bad
as lack of finish. There is a great deal in know-
ing when to let well enough alone. When you
do not see anything more to do, stop.
CHAPTER IV.
TINTED GROUNDS.
In mixing tints for borders or any considerable
surfaces, it is necessary to use more oil than for
other painting. It is especially desirable to mix
enough balsam of copaiva with the color and the
other oils, to prevent it from drying before there is
time to blend it. The quantity of oil varies with
the depth of the tint desired, and the particular
color used, also the condition of the atmosphere
at the time the ground is laid. Some colors,
such as carmine and blue, require more oil than
others, and are more difficult to lay. It is hard
to give an idea of the amount of oil which
should be used in any particular case. There
ts no danger of using so much that the paint
will blister in the firing, when it is laid very
thinly.
Enough color must be mixed to cover the en*
(44)
TINTED GROUNDS. 45
tire surface upon which the ground is to be laid,
At once. If tube colors are used, it will simply be
necessary to mix a little balsam of copaiva with
them as they are taken from the tubes, to keep
them from drying too rapidly. They may then
be diluted with turpentine.
If the powdered colors are used they should be
mixed with an amount of oil of turpentine, which
would occupy nearly as much space as the powder,
rather less of oil of lavender, and about twice
as much balsam of copaiva. Afterward diluted
with spirits of turpentine. For laying grounds,
the color should be very thin, so that it will flow
readily from the brush. Mix on a glass slab,
and rub down well with a muller. When per*
fectly smooth, have ready a piece of the finest
wire cloth, three or four inches square, bend it
to form a depression in the middle, and strain
the color through it, lifting it with the palette knife,
and letting it drip through just before you are
ready to use it, so that it may be free from any
particles of dust.
Take a broad, flat brush, charge it well with
46 CHINA PAINTING.
color, and pass it rapidly over the surface to be
tinted. If a cup, hold it upside down by the
handle, and make the strokes from the bottom
to the top ; or if you wish to tint the border of
a plate, the strokes may be made across the flat
edge, taking a direction from the center to the
circumference. If a vase, you should begin at
the top, passing around with short, over-lapping
strokes, taking care that the color is not so wet
that it will run.
When the surface has been covered, let it rest
a moment, until the color begins to set, and,
upon lightly touching the edge, it feels slightly
sticky. Then go over it with the blending brush,
holding the brush perpendicular to the surface
upon which you are operating, just touching it,
not dragging the brush or letting it rest upon
the surface, and not twice upon the same place.
After waiting a moment or so, you may go
over it again, and continue to blend it until
the tint is perfectly even*
If the brush becomes charged with the color,
it must be cleaned on a cloth wet with alcohol,
TINTED GROUNDS. 47
and left a few moments to dry, or it may pos-
sibly do to wipe it on a dry cloth. It is better,
however, to have two or three blenders at hand,
so that if one becomes unfit for use, another can
be substituted at once.
Care must be taken that the brush, after it is
cleaned in alcohol, should become perfectly
dry before it is used again, as the alcohol will
remove the color. Dampness should also be
avoided when laying grounds.
A ball of cotton tied in a fine linen or cotton
cloth is sometimes used for blending, instead of
a brush.
The color which may have been allowed to go
over the edge should be carefully wiped off as
soon as you have finished blending*
By the use of a turning wheel the work of
putting on borders is, of course, much facilitated.
The wheel, however, is not absolutely necessary,
except when narrow bands are to be made, A
full oorder for a plate may be put on in the
manner described above.
It is difficult to describe narrow bands and
48 CHINA PAINTING.
lines, even upon circular pieces of china, as they
are seldom perfectly round, and the line has to
be adapted to a slightly uneven surface. It
would be as well not to attempt work of this
Kind, which had better be left to the decorator,
Where dark grounds are desired, the color
should be dusted on by the following process :
Take a few drops of the oil especially prepared
for this purpose, thin with spirits of turpentine,
and mix thoroughly, by rubbing down with the
palette knife. Afterward, with a large brush
charged with it, pass quickly over the surface of
the china, being careful not to leave any spaces
uncovered and to put it on as evenly as possible.
Have ready a ball of cotton tied in a piece of
soft raw silk, and touch it lightly, distribu-
ting the oil evenly over the whole surface.
After waiting a moment or so until the oil has
become slightly sticky, take a large blending
brush, charged as fully as possible with the
powdered color you wish to use, and dust it
over the prepared surface, without slighting any
TINTED GROUNDS, 49
part. If a surplus of powder lies upon the sur-
face anywhere, brush it off very lightly.
As the powder arising from this process is
disagreeable, as well as injurious, means should
be taken to prevent its inhalation*
This method, after all, is rather uncertain in
unskillful hands, it being very difficult to meas-
ure the success of the work until after the
firing, which, by rendering the color transparent,
brings out every defect.
Grounds of delicate tint, however, are very
pretty, and can be easily managed, after some
little practice, according to the directions given
above.
Besides the colors used in painting, there are
others especially prepared for grounds, which
can not be mixed.
It is as well to procure colors for grounds in
powder; especially, if they can be had, those
prepared by M. Lacroix, of the quality No. 3 S
which are as finely ground as the tube colors.
If it is desired to paint a design upon the
tinted ground, the ground must be removed
CHINA PAINTING.
from the place the design is to occupy. If this
were not done, the color underneath would in
the firing mix with those superimposed, and
ipoil the tints. This may be done by either of
the following methods :
First, the ground may be tinted, and, after it
is thoroughly dry, the design may be scratched
upon the surface and the color removed with a
scraper, A stick of soft wood, with a flattened
point moistened with turpentine, is also useful
for this purpose ; or, if the scraper alone is used,
the surface uncovered should be carefully cleaned,
after its use, with the end of a cloth rolled into
a point and moistened with turpentine.
The design may also be drawn upon the tinted
surface with a hard lead pencil (if delicately and
correctly done), and the color removed as before.
Perhaps the second method would be the best
for any one not quite sure of drawing the design
correctly at once. That is, to draw the design
on the china first in India ink or any water color
which will show. The ground laid over this will
aot disturb the outline > and, the sketch showing
TINTED GROUNDS.
through it perfectly, the design can be easily re-
moved by the process described after the first
method. This outline will burn out in the firing.
It would, however, be better to remove it as far
as possible, especially if dark, in order that it
may not interfere with the proper treatment of
the edges of the painted design.
Deeigns in colors, black silhouettes or mono
chromes in grey, may be painted in this manner
noon tinted grounds.
CHAPTER V.
MAT COtORS.
Since the introduction of the Royal Worces-
ter ware, with its exquisite, ivory-like surface,
and effective mat decoration of metals and col-
ors, amateurs have been fired with an ambition
to imitate it. Aside, however, from the pro-
duction of pieces of " Royal Worcester/' a very
much abused term, by the way, the introduction
of mat colors opens a new field to the china
painter, wherein the most artistic effects can be
produced*
After the soft harmony of the dead tints,
those which take a glaze in firing seem garish in
their brilliancy, and the painter is tempted to
use the mat colors on all occasions. These col-
ors arc, however, unsuitable for ware intended
for table use. The reason is that surfaces of
articles decorated with unglazed colors are not
(52)
MAT COLORS. 53
so easily washed as those which are polished, and
it seems manifestly important that any thing
intended for use should have a smooth surface,
to which nothing would be likely to adhere, and
which couid be kept immaculately clean with
little rubbing. There may be exceptions in the
case of bonbonnitrts, or similar pieces, or even
cups and saucers, where the surfaces are not
much used.
The mat colors also form very beautiful com-
binations with the glazed colors in many deco-
rative effects. These colors retain very much
the same appearance after firing as before, so
that it is easy to choose the tints desired from
the great variety offered by the dealers. The
mat colors are in effect the same as those pre-
pared for underglaze painting, and in many
cases the last named colors will do as well as
those sold for the purpose. In the case of
black I have found nothing so good as Lacroix's
noir underglaze. In most cases, however, the
underglaze colors, as well as those which are said
to be especially prepared for mat overglaze, need
54 CHINA PAINTING.
to have more flux added to make them adhere
to the ware. All the mat colors I have used,
except those of M. Lacroix, require an ex-
tremely hard firing to fix them. The French
colors are not open to this objection, and fire
very satisfactorily. There are numerous colors
from which to choose, and of those I would
suggest the following as offering sufficient va-
riety:
Blanc cr%mt mat Mat cream white.
Brun rouge mat Mat red brown.
Rouge ajouts mat Mat red for cheeks, or car-
nation.
Chair a plat mat > No. 10 Flesh tint, No* 10.
Brun bitume mat Mat bitumen.
Brun jaunt mat Mat yellow brown.
Orange^ No. 3, mat Mat orange, No. 3.
Jaunt* No. 2, mat Mat yellow, No. 2.
Jaun^ No. 3, mat Mat yellow, No. 3.
Jaunt d* argent mat Mat silver yellow.
Vtrt mat ; 32 Mat green, 32.
Vtrt mat, 34 Mat green, 34.
Vtrt mat pour fends Mat green for grounds.
MAT COLORS. 55
Bins rich* mat Mat deep blue.
Noir mat Mat black.
These colors are best procured in powder,
They are most frequently used for grounds, and
the grounds usually are of the light tints, es-
pecially cream, in imitation of the Royal Wor-
cester, For this ground, which has the tint of
old ivory, yellow or yellow-brown must be
mixed with cream white until the desired tint is
secured* There are preparations of these grounds
already mixed from several American dealers*
Those of Messrs. Grunewald & Busher, called
the mat wax colors, are very good, and come in
various tints wax ivory for the light cream
tint, with others, such as celadon, nile green,
pink, fawn, chocolate, terra cotta, or olive. A
beautiful deep cream tint can be mixed from
white about three parts, yellow two, and bitu-
men one. Rouge a joues, applied lightly, gives
a beautiful pale pink color, and Vert^ 32, a lovely
blue green. The dark colors can also be very
effectively used as grounds with decorations of
gold and other metals. Black gives a very fine
56 CHINA PAINTJKG,
effect with designs of gold and platinum. For
this, as has been said before, Lacroix's underglaze
black works excellently.
These colors are usually applied in the method
described in the previous chapter for grounds of
glazing colors. After being mixed rather thin
with a little fat oil thinned with turpentine, and a
few drops of balsam of copaiva to keep the
paint from drying too quickly > the color is laid
on with a broad brush, and the surface is after-
ward made smooth and of an even tint by pat-
ting with a dabber of cottonwool tied up in
chamois skin, or silk muslin. The dark colors
must have a thicker consistency, and can be ap-
plied by strokes of a broad brush ; but the best
effect, in the case of dark colors, is given by
dusting the color upon the surface already pre-
pared with ground laying oil, as described in
Chapter VL This is not a difficult process, if
the materials are right, and after practice has
rendered the operator expert, but is usually a
matter of some difficulty in unpracticed hands.
The difficulty experienced in dusting on grounds
MAT COLORS.
is frequently caused by the adulteration of the
turpentine used- Much of the turpentine sold
seems to be adulterated with benzine; and when
this is the case, it causes the grounding oil
thinned with it to dry in streaks, and it is im-
possible to apply the color evenly. If the pro-
cess of tinting by dusting does not go on satis-
factorily, suspect the turpentine, and try to get
a pure article from another dealer. Devoe's rec-
tified spirits of turpentine can be procured from
any dealer, and it is better to use that prepara-
tion. As the dusting of color is at best, how-
ever, hardly a safe or pleasant operation, on ao*
count of its difficulty and the danger of inhaling
the powder, perhaps the amateur would do bet-
ter to employ the first method of tinting for
dark grounds as well as for light ones. If the
tint is not dark enough the first time, a second
coat can be applied after firing. When mat col-
ors are used in decorative designs, they are em-
ployed just as other colors, and mixed with each
other, if desired, with the difference that they
are not subject to the same change in appearance
58 CHINA PAINTING.
after firing. They are usually employed in con-
ventional decoration in combination with metals,
and not in the painting of any naturalistic de-
sign. They could, of course, be used in this
way, but, in most cases where the decoration of
china is concerned, conventional design is in
better taste. Very beautiful decorative effects
may be produced by combining the mat colors
not only with the various metals, but with the
glazed colors. The design may be of mat color
upon a ground of glazed color, or a mat surface
can have a decoration of glazed color, which will
not have a very brilliant appearance on account
of the dead surface upon which it is applied, but
which will give a pleasing effect. Designs in
mat color can also be placed upon the uncolored
surface of the china and surrounded by gold out-
lines and other accessory decorations of gold to
form a ground work. Beautiful effects are pro-
duced by the use of deeply-tinted mat grounds
afterward covered by a light application of gold,
either dusted on or dabbled thinly over the sur-
face with a blending brush.
CHAPTER VI.
OTHER PIGMENTS AND MEDIUMS.
Water Colors.
Several years ago vitrifiable colors were intro-
duced, which were put up in "pans as moist water
colors are prepared, and with which water could
be used as a medium.
These colors are in all respects similar to the
ordinary china colors in tubes, except that in
working, water is used instead of spirits of tur-
pentine, and a preparation called megilp, or water
color medium, in the place of fat oil. The col-
ors fire as other china colors, and are mixed and
used in the same way. They may be recom-
mended to those who find turpentine very dis-
agreeable or even injurious.
The best colors that I have seen, prepared in
this way, are the Royal Dresden china colors.
(59)
60 CHINA PAINTING.
Of these a good selection would be the follow*
ing: ReliefWhite; Egg Yellow; Olive Green ;
Turquoise; Grass Green; Dark Blue; Carmine;
Superior Pompadour Red; Brown Red; Flesh
Red; Yellow Brown; Dark Brown; Grey for
Flesh; Brunswick Black; Flux.
By the use of these colors, and the employ-
ment of alcohol in metal work, in the manner to
be described hereafter, the odor of the turpen-
tine may be avoided.
Although turpentine is generally used, and
seems to be the most available and convenient
medium for ordinary use, the matter is one of
comparative indifference, and may usually be left
to the idiosyncracy of the worker. The colors
in powder contain the flux necessary to cause
them to adhere to the surface of the china
when subjected to the necessary degree of heat.
All that is needed, then, is a medium which will
render them of the proper consistency to be ap-
plied with a brush. Turpentine, with a little fat
oil, ordinarily produces this effect. Some dec-
orators use also clove oil, tar oil, oil of lav-
OTHER PIGMENTS AND MEDIUMS. 6l
ender, or Dresden thick oil. If, however, the
odor of these oils is disagreeable, water and the
water-color medium can be used.
The medium is of little importance, the only
requisite being, that the color shall be in such a
condition that it can be applied smoothly with
the brush and that it shall not have so much oil
in it as to attract the dust or blister in the firing.
Vitrijiable Crayons.
The verifiable crayons introduced by M.
Lacroix form a very interesting contribution to
the variety of pigments for china decoration.
These crayons are verifiable colors put up in
pencils, and are intended for use on ground glass.
Very beautiful work can be done upon this ma-
terial ; but we are now interested only in porce-
lain, and upon this, also, they can be most effect-
ively used.
To give the proper surface to take the crayon,
a mat ground must be applied. This can be of
any color, but the most suitable is the light
62 CHrKA PAINTING.
cream, Royal Worcester tint. After the ground
has been fired the crayons can be employed in
exactly the same manner as charcoal or crayon
upon paper.
The effect of a warm tinted crayon drawing
upon the cream ground is very good. A stump
can be used to blend the strokes of the crayon, or
to rub in a tint, in just the same way as in char-
coal work on paper. The pencils can also be
used in connection with brush work. They can
be sharpened as lead pencils, but the knife must
be very sharp, as the crayons are very brittle.
The colors to be procured in tubes are also
prepared in the form of pencils, and the same
selection can be made; but the most appropriate
for this work are the grisaille tints. Drawings
can be made in a single color, but they are more
pleasing when several tints are used, for instance
when the drawing is made in a warm brown with
accenting touches of deeper, perhaps reddish
tones in the shadows. Of the desirable grisaille
tints may be mentioned :
Grisaille fine ttintc noire.
OTHER PIGMENTS AND MEDIUMS. 63
Grisaille ordinaire teinte noire.
Grisaille ordinaire teinte rouge.
Grisaille fine teinte brune.
Grisaille ordinaire teinte brune.
Grisaille fine teinte violacie*
Good combinations of these tints can be made
with deep brown touches in the shadows with
brown gray,- or possibly with a little black gray ;
or, red brown with dark brown or brown gray ;
or, fine brown grey, which gives a pleasing gray-
ish olive tint which may be used in softening
the tints of the brighter colors.
The warmer brown or reddish tints will be
found to be the most pleasing. There are, in-
deed, endless combinations in which these colors
can be most effectively and artistically used,
but these must be left to the taste of the deco-
rator*
CHAPTER VII,
BURNISHING.
The metals come from the fire with a dead
surface, which must be burnished or rubbed to
the degree of finish desired. A dull polish is
usually to be desired, and this is best secured
by the use of a glass brush.
This tool, however is by no means a safe or
pleasant one to handle, and must be used with
the greatest caution. A fine dead surface can be
secured by burnishing with an agate burnisher,
and then re-firing. On coming from the fire
again, the surface will have the dead finish de-
sired. Or, after burnishing, the metal can be
rubbed with putz-pomade, which will take off
some of the brilliant polish, and, leave a beauti-
ful mat surface. This latter treatment is es-
pecially successful with decorations of gold and
silver, on black or dark grounds. Metal can
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BURNISHING. 65
also be polished with the aid of whiting, rubbed
on with chamois skin* All these methods are
more troublesome, as well as less satisfactory,
than the use of the objectionable glass brush.
This gives a fine surface with the least amount
of trouble, and there seems to be nothing which
will quite take its place. If it is used, however,
great care must be exercised to prevent the in-
halation of particles of glass, or to keep them
from falling upon the clothing, or sticking into
the hands. The particles seem usually to fall,
so that the greatest danger is to have them
forced into the skin/ The dropping of the sharp
particles upon the clothing can be prevented by
holding the object to be polished as far away
from the body as possible, and catching the bits
of glass threads which fall off upon a paper.
Heavy gloves should be worn to protect the
hands, and the brush should be grasped as close
to the rubbing surface as possible.
When a bright surface is desired, as is fre-
quently the case with gold, especially in line
work, the metal must be rubbed with an
66 CHINA PAINTING.
agate burnisher. These tools are of different
shapes, and it is best, perhaps, to have one with
a sharp point, and another with a blunt, rounded
end, to suit the forms of the various surfaces.
The burnisher must be passed over the surface
with a light, firm touch, not held in such a way
or with a pressure so strong that a careless move-
ment might result in a scratch on the surface of
either the china, or the gold, but with a delicate
touch, and a pressure just sufficient to burnish
the metal. Every point of the surface must be
passed over, for, if the strokes of the burnisher
have not covered every part, the surface will have
a scratchy appearance, which will cause the gild-
ing to appear imperfect. The process of burn-
ishing must be continued until the gold presents
an evenly brilliant appearance, which condition
can not fail to be secured by the skillful use of
the burnisher, provided the gold has been ap-
plied thickly enough to cover the surface of the
china*
When properly fired, the gold will come from
the kiln with a slight golden luster. If the sur*
BURNISHING.
face is perfectly dull, like yellow paint, the gold
has probably not been fired at a temperature
high enough to attach it to the surface of the
china, and it should be tried cautiously in some
place to find out whether at has been fired suf-
ficiently to bear burnishing. If the surface is not
hard, and does not take a brilliant polish at
once, the piece must be re-fired.
CHAPTER VIII.
PASTE FOR RAISED GOLD.
The effect of metallic decoration is very much
enhanced when the outline, or even the entire
design is raised above the surface. This is done
by means of a preparation which has body
enough to produce the necessary relief. As it is
generally used under gold, it is appropriately
colored. That prepared by Hancock & Sons,
and which is of a deep yellow color, is the best.
There are several different ways of mixing the
paste; some using syrup and water, and
others oil. The method commonly employed
is to mix the powder with oil of tar, and thin
the mixture with spirits of turpentine. It must
be kept very thick, as if used too thin it will
spread and ruin the work, and is better if mixed
some time before using. There is, in fact, but
one state in which it can be satisfactorily used,
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PASTE FOR RAISED GOLD. 69
and It is said that in factories, when such work
is produced, the workmen have several saucers
of the paste at hand, in various stages of moist-
ure, so that one can always be found in just the
condition necessary for good work*
The tar oil seems to be the best for use in
raised work, as it gives the mixture that tena-
cious, stringy quality desired in order to form
good lines of paste.
The oil, however, exhibits its tendency to
spread, especially if too much has been used.
The turpentine with which it must be thinned
also evaporates, and increases the oiliness of the
mixture, rendering it still more liable to spread.
This troublesome tendency is in a great degree
prevented by using alcohol to thin the mixture
instead of turpentine. The alcohol dries so
quickly that if the paste has been made too thin
it soon acquires the right condition, although
with the disadvantage of holding it but a short
time before it must be thinned again. Its action
in restraining the tendency to spread, however,
more than counterbalances this drawback, and it
70 CHINA PAINTING.
introduces no dangerous clement. For the danger
of the mixture becoming excessively oily from
the use of turpentine, is one which not only
affects the working of the paste, but may cause
it to blister in the firing.
Sometimes, after alcohol has been used, the
mixture gets into a condition where the oil
separates from the powder. When this happens,
a drop or so of turpentine will usually set it
right again, or some fresh powder can be added,
or a little more tar oil may change the condition
of the mixture.
To do good work the powder should be so
well ground with the oil that the paste is
perfectly smooth. When a very delicate line of
paste is desired, it may 1>e made by the use of the
lining pen. For this method of application the
paste can be thinner than when intended for use
with the brush, and it would be better to substi-
tute balsam of copaiba, or Dresden thick oil, for
the tar oil. Either of these oils causes the paste
to work very smoothly, with, however, a greater
tendency to spread than is given by the tar oil.
PASTE FOR RAISED GOLD. Jl
This renders them less satisfactory for lines
made by the brush, for which nothing seems to
do so well as tar oil thinned by alcohol. This
may, however, be a matter of individual exper-
ience, as some use Dresden thick oil with good
effect.
Lines made with the pen, however, can not be
raised so high as when made with the brush, un-
jess a second application is made after the first
has dried. They can, however, be made of a
more even degree of thickness than with the
brush, where the slightest variation in the con-
dition of the paste has a tendency to change the
appearance of the line.
The paste must be fired before the gold is ap-
plied- It is sometimes possible to fire gold and
paste at the same time, but it is always safer, and
the work will usually present a much better ap-
pearance, if the paste is fired before it is gilded.
To prevent accidents in firing, the paste
should be thoroughly dried before it is put in
the kiln, and it should dry naturally, not by the
application of heat. As the paste is usually ap-
CHINA PAINTING.
plied upon tinted grounds, a piece decorated in
this way requires several firings first for the
ground, then for the application of paste, and
lastly for the metallic decoration.
When the gold is applied to the paste it
should be mixed rather thin and with very little,
if any, fat oil. It can then be taken up on the
point of a fine brush and just touched to the
line of paste. The porous paste quickly absorbs
the turpentine, leaving the gold upon its surface
without the danger of having it spread over the
edge of the line to the ground. By using very
little oil the danger of scaling in firing is also
avoided.
CHAPTER IX.
GENERAL REMARKS ON DECORATION.
In the decoration of china, appropriateness, or
adaptability to the purpose, is of the first consid-
eration. The design must be of such a charac-
ter and so placed upon the surface as not to in-
terfere with the lines of the object decorated, and
must also be subservient to the use for which
it is intended.
Decorators too often seem to have the idea,
only, of doing something which shall be pretty
in itself, without any reference to the object to
be decorated, or to its future use. Although
the design may be very pretty in itself, it
may be so entirely inappropriate for the posi-
tion in which it is placed, as to be very far from
pleasing*
The artist should always have in mind the
foundation upon which the decoration is placed.
74 CHINA PAINTING.
This is of the first importance. If one wishes
to paint a picture, it may be done upon china,
and may have certain beautiful qualities peculiar
to the material, but it must be done within cer-
tain limitations, and the artist is always more or
less hampered by his medium. The most real-
istic rendering of nature can best be accomplished
in other mediums. Moreover, if it were pos-
sible to accomplish this naturalistic treatment
with such material, there are few objects upon
which it would be appropriate* A plaque which
is intended to hang upon a wall may have a pic-
ture painted upon it, but even in this place a
conventional design, with a harmonious arrange-
ment of color, would be more pleasing.
In the case of a vase, or other ornamental ob-
ject, it is important that the lines of the decora-
tions be of such a character as to bring out the
beauty of form in the object decorated ; not to
display a pretty piece of painting, which may be
entirely out of harmony with the surface upon
which it is placed. In all cases, the object deco-
rated should be held in some consideration* If
GENERAL REMARKS ON DECORATION. 75
it is of beautiful form, then the aim of the artist
should be to enhance that beauty, while dec-
orating its surface, in such a way as to render it
still more beautiful. In the decoration of an ob.
ject intended for use, the application seems yet
more obvious.
A plate, for instance, may, or may not be a
very beautiful object in itself, but the intention
of the decoration must be to render the piece
more beautiful, while at the same time it does
not interfere with the purpose of use, for which
it was designed.
And here again, I would like to urge upon all
who undertake the decoration of china, the im-
portance of a knowledge of the principles of de-
sign. Too little thought is given to this matter,
and the student far too often depends upon the
teacher, or some other outside help, for ideas.
Too often is the teacher expected to give not
only instruction in methods, but ideas for de-
sign also. This is more than any pupil has the
right to demand, and this state of affairs is good
neither for teacher or pupil. The teacher is
CHINA PAINTING.
overtaxed with the extra work of not only plan-
ning the design, but even it may be drawing it
upon the china, while the pupil exhibits something
as her work, to which she has no just claim, as
the most important part has been done by
another. But this brings us back to the charge
so often urged before, that it is necessary to
learn to draw before attempting decorative work.
Not to know how to draw well, not to know
how to sketch from nature, for that requires
years of practice, but to have required sufficient
manual skill to imitate simple lines, and to
adapt from natural forms graceful motives for
decoration. It is not such a difficult matter, but
the hand must be trained to surety of touch, and
the eye to perceive the suggestions of the varied
natural forms displayed before us. The pleasure
of being able to record the innumerable and ex-
quisite combinations, of color and form all around
us, with the something of creative skill needed
to adapt them to our use, which gives a feeling
of ownership in the studies thus made, will more
than compensate for the labor required to ac*
GENERAL REMARKS ON DECORATION. j-y
complish these results. In the words of Hani
erton :
" This indeed is a noble object, to gain ad-
mission into the paradise of natural beauty, and
whoever labors bravely for that end shall have
his reward."
SUGGESTIONS TO CHINA PAINTERS.
CHAPTER X.
THE IMPORTANCE OF
DRAWING.
[EFORE passing to the consid-
eration of painting on china, I
would like to say a few words
to novices in the art upon the
necessity of learning to draw
before any attempt at coloring
is made. If treating of any but ceramic paint-
ing, insistence upon the desirability of being able
to draw correctly before painting might be superfluous; but
it is so often asserted that a course of drawing is unnec-
essary before beginning to paint on china, and the results
of this belief appear so frequently, disfiguring the fair face
of some piece of porcelain, that I can not forbear entering
again a protest against such a fallacy.
It is not my purpose to advocate a system such as has
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82 CHINA PAINTING.
recently been, if it is not now, pursued in our art schools,
where the student plods his weary way through drawing
from the flat and the round, year after year, but to argue
that some knowledge of drawing and designing is necessary
before any kind of decorative work can be practiced suc-
cessfully. Painting is only drawing with color; the one can
not exist without the other; and to say that any one can
paint without knowing how to draw, is to state an absurd-
ity. The idea seems to prevail that it will do very well
to obtain something to copy, and then trace the design
upon the object to be decorated ; but it is quite certain that
the person who can not draw the design correctly from the
copy, can not, after a tracing is made, keep the outline
from distortion during the process of painting. I would
not prescribe a certain course for every one, or say that
such a time should be spent or such a method of training
should be pursued in every case, as all that depends upon
the capacity and the exertions of the student.
The decoration of china, while it affords possibilities for
the display of the highest style of art, does not, as a gen-
eral thing, call for subjects of so high a range. Plaques
and panels may be treated as pictures, but articles for use
should be decorated with simple natural, or, what is still better,
THE IMPORTANCE OF DRAWING*
CHINA PAINTING*
with conventional forms. It may not require great skill to
make a good conventional design, but any decoration at all, to
be well done, requires a certain steadiness of hand and nicety
of touch, only acquired after considerable practice in draw-
ing. If the student who is not possessed of great skill in
drawing, or who does not wish to spend a long time in
learning how to draw, will be content with simple forms of
decoration, all may be well; but let such an one refrain from
representing the human face and form divine. This caution
might be considered unnecessary, but I have in mind cer-
tain frightful examples where the ambition of the painter
was only equalled by his temerity in attempting the rep-
resentation of such an intricate subject, and the result was
a thing of horror. What was the cause of failure? The
student had not learned the first principle of drawing, the
art of seeing. The secret of good drawing is simply this
and nothing more, and all teaching that does not tend to
make the student observe nature and learn to see things
as they are, is worse than useless. The teacher must, how-
ever, have the co-operation of the student, upon whom
alone success finally depends. Would-be students often seem
to think that if they could only obtain the instruction of
some artist whose work pleases them, their progress to sue-
THE IMPORTANCE OF DRAWING.
cess would be assured. Nothing is more absurd. Tech-
nical instruction can be obtained from the teacher, and a
wise teacher can give a student valuable hints for his guid-
ance, but the application must be made by the student
All teaching that does not aim to make him see and think
for himself, is a positive injury* Good drawing is simply
seeing things correctly, aided by the secondary qualification
of having the hand trained to obey the dictates of the
brain. The brain is the motive power, however, and if it
has not acquired or can not attain the faculty of compre-
hending the work to be done, the hand may work on
without any good result.
It was the late William M. Hunt who told a pupil that
all the work of the drawing she had upon her paper could
have been done in ten minutes, where she had been work-
ing hours. Nothing could be more true. It is only the
brain-work that counts. Therefore, let the student who
would learn to draw so that he may produce good deco-
rative work, open his eyes to see nature in her various
forms, and train his hand to represent what he sees, not
what he fancies he ought to see, or what somebody else
might see. Having seen, let him put his ideas into his
work boldly and fearlessly.
CHAPTER XI.
TECHNIQUE.
TECHNIQUE may be defined
as the method by which an
artist finds expression for
his art. The technique of
his work is good or bad ac-
cording to the degree in
which he has gained con-
trol of his materials. If
the painter is mastered by
the materials, the work will
be feeble and hesitating, but if with conscious power he
can infuse his own spirit into the inert matter and force it
to do his will, the result will be the best expression of
his artistic feeling, a masterly technique. Few artists can
express themselves equally well in all materials. One may
find his freest expression in oil-colors, another in water-
colors, another with the pen, and another with the etching-
needle. In each case he must not be hampered by his
materials, but must work on, almost unconscious of the
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TECHNIQUE, 87
medium by which his ideas are expressed. As in every
other artistic handicraft, the colors used in porcelain paint-
ing require a certain kind of handling to produce the best
effects, and it is of this, the technique of china painting,
that I now wish to speak. To acquire a good method is
not an easy task. At first, it seems to the learner that
there are unusual difficulties in the way. In painting on
china there are certain obstacles to a free handling pecu-
liar to the surface upon which the colors are laid. On the
other hand, there are certain advantages to be derived from
these same troublesome peculiarities, such, for instance, as
the ease with which lights can be taken out or the work
erased if unsatisfactory. The method of working is mart
like that employed with water-colors than that used wfth
oil, as the washes of color are applied thinly, the tinf of
the ground supplying the light. But the smooth, slippery
surface makes it necessary to use a different method of
laying on the colors.
In painting on paper with water colors, the tint is ab-
sorbed into the paper as a stain, which is not easily removed
in working over it The glossy, non-absorbent character
of the surface of china, however, renders the practice of
laying repeated washes over any extended space impossible,
CHINA PAINTING.
unless the first tint is fired and so fixed. It will then be
easy to work over the washes already laid, and now that
the introduction of portable kilns has rendered firing at
home practicable and so lessened the expense of the pro-
cess, the amateur may indulge in repeated firings. More
than one or two firings are, however, seldom necessary,
except in the case of large work, although a greater num-
ber might be of assistance to the beginner. With care,
after the necessary skill in using the colors has been ac-
quired, it is comparatively easy to work over tints already
laid without previous firing.
This requires, however, a certain degree of dexterity, and
since much depends upon the way in which the colors are
laid, it would be well for the beginner to practice laying
washes of color over other washes of color before attempt-
to paint pieces to be fired. The effect of transparency
produced by the vitrification of the colors in firing, will to
a certain extent clear up the muddiest painting, but to ob-
tain the full brilliancy and best effect of the colors, they
must not be overworked. " Niggling' 1 here will produce
the same disastrous results as in oil or water colors. Hav-
ing decided what you are going to do, the color must be
laid with a light, firm touch, just where you intend it to
TECHNIQUE.
go, and then be left to dry; a novice seems to be irresist-
ibly tempted to go back over the tint just laid to attempt
an improvement. This is a bad practice, for although an
adept may work into the wet color to produce certain ef-
fects, it is a ruinous method to a beginner. However bad
the tint may look as laid, it will only make it worse to
work over it while wet, and the indulgence in such a prac-
tice leads to feeble and hesitating work. Let it dry, then
work over it lightly, to deepen or modify the tint.
It is easy to try upon the palette the color with which
your brush is charged, to see if it is the desired tint, be-
fore using it upon your work. Turpentine is used in the
same way that water is employed in painting in water-col-
ors, to dilute the colors, but as the surface of the china is
not absorbent, it is necessary to use the color as dry as
possible. If too much turpentine is used, the color will
spread and dry with a hard line around the edge. This
caution must be observed especially in working over tints
already laid, and the advice given above, as to leaving each
touch to dry before trying to work over it, must also be
heeded. It is possible to lay tints one over another any
s
number of times, if the previously laid tint is allowed to
dry before another is applied; but if in laying one of these
CHINA PAINTING.
over the other you touch the work a second time while it
is wet, all you have done will be spoiled. It is the prac-
tice of some decorators to use clove-oil as a medium.
Although it is possible, perhaps, to lay the color more
smoothly with this medium, it dries too slowly; and un-
less you have a convenient arrangement for drying by arti-
ficial heat, its use is an annoying hindrance to continuous
work. Drying so slowly, it is also likely to collect all
the dust floating near it in the atmosphere. My own pref-
erence is for a medium that dries as quickly as possible,
and for that purpose iresh spirits of turpentine, not having
been kept long enough to become oily, seems the best.
For those to whom the odor of turpentine is disagreeable,
alcohol will furnish an excellent medium, having the merit
of drying still more quickly than turpentine.
The brush, barely moistened with the medium, and
charged with the color, must be held firmly and swept
with an even pressure over the surface where the color is
to be laid. If the painting is the representation of a nat-
ural object, the strokes of the brush should take the direc-
tion of the curves of the object. For instance, in paint-
ing a leaf, think first what direction is taken by the
rounded forms, and make the strokes of the brush corre-
TECHNIQUE.
spond, just as if you were modelling the leaf. Only in this
way, and by a correct translation of the tones of light and
shade, can an effect of roundness and relief be given. If
the painting consists of a conventional design, the colors
should be laid as flat as possible, and if necessary a blend-
ing brush can be used to produce an even tint; but I would
not advise the use of the blending brush, unless it is abso-
lutely necessary. All teasing or overworking of the colors
tends to loss of clearness and brilliancy in the painting.
To recapitulate: Before you touch your work, think what
you desire to do, and then endeavor to accomplish it with
as little circumlocution and hesitation as possible. Do not
lay the color in little dabbling strokes, but with a firm,
free touch. It is only in this way that a sound technique
can be acquired.
CHAPTER XII.
DESIGNS.
N selecting a design with
which to decorate the sur-
face of any product of the
ceramic art, the first question
to be considered is that of
appropriateness. It is the
surface that is to be decorat-
ed, and the design must be
planned with reference to the
curves of the object, and must enhance rather than dimin-
ish the beauty of its form. The decoration must also be
appropriate for the uses to which the article is to be de-
voted. Just here the question of naturalistic or conven-
tional design comes in. As a general rule, it may be said
that for all ceramic objects conventional designs are in the
best taste, but practically, the question resolves itself into that
of the destination of the decorated object If a plaque or
panel is to be hung upon a wall, there seems to be no
(9*)
DESIGNS.
93
valid objection to the painting of a naturalistic design
upon its surface. It occupies the same position as a pic-
ture, and there can be no reason why it should not be
treated as a piece of paper or canvas, except the technical
hindrances which render the painting of a picture upon
porcelain more difficult than the accomplishment of the
same result upon the former materials.
A vase or cup may also be decorated with a naturalistic
design, but it should be such a one as would not detract
from the appearance of roundness, and therefore if a design
of that character be used, it should be a painting of
flowers, not a landscape or figure. Either of these sub-
jects would be out of place and lacking in decorative ef-
fect in that position, but the inappropriateness of such
a design on a plate intended to be put to the ordinary
use of the article, is still more obvious. A plate may,
however, be used as a plaque. If intended to hang upon
a wall or to be displayed upon an easel, there can be no
harm in choosing any subject that would be suitable for a
picture to be used in the same way, simply because it is
a plate. The form of a plate is frequently very good for
use in this way, and being so, there is no manifest impro-
priety in making a decorative plaque of it.
AJ| CHINA PAINTING.
94
In the case of articles intended simply for use, the rule
of appropriateness of design should be more strictly ad-
hered to, and conventional designs only are unobjectionable.
After appropriateness, decorative effect and harmony of
color should be considered. The design should be such as
to make the object more beautiful, really to decorate its
surface, and the colors should be so chosen and arranged
as to produce the most harmonious effect. Success in the
last-named requisite is largely due to a natural gift, but
may to some extent be cultivated by the study of good
models. Beauty and correctness of form should also be
considered.
We have then, as the requisites of good conventional
decoration, appropriateness, decorative effect, harmony of
color, and truth and beauty of form. The question no\i
arises as to the source from which subjects for decoration
should be drawn. As in all other kinds of art, the only
true inspiration is given by the study of nature. Just as
in naturalistic painting, so also in decorative work, nothing
worthy the name of art can be produced without careful
and reverent study of natural forms. As to appropriate
subjects for decorative work, it may be said that for plaques
or panels, the human figure is the noblest subject, and one
DESIGNS.
95
that is appropriate for such use, but for articles of ordinary
utility designs should be drawn from lower forms of life.
For this purpose flowers and plants offer the most available
as well as beautiful subjects. With such motives for deco-
ration within reach of all, why should the decorator of por-
CHINA PAINTING,
celain, as is too frequently the case, depend upon copying
printed designs and badly drawn and worse colored chro-
mos? A little time bestowed upon the study of decorative
art from books and good specimens, and a little thought
as to the planning and execution of a piece of decoration,
would be far more beneficial than the thoughtless copying
of the published designs. All originality is lost in slavish
imitation, and there can be little satisfaction to the copy-
ist or to the spectator. Decorative art should exhibit in-
dividuality, should be an outgrowth of the life and sur-
roundings of the artist
We have said that the inspiration of good decorative de-
sign must be drawn from nature, but the fact of its being
conventional presupposes a certain liberty in the adaptation
of natural forms. Let us suppose that a flower is taken
as a subject for a decorative design: The artist, instead of
rendering the roundness of the object, while adopting the
form, makes no attempt to give roundness. The tints of
color are laid in flat, following the local color of the
flower, or they may be changed so as to produce the dec-
orative effect desired. The form can be rendered with a
degree of irregularity corresponding to the natural growth
of the plant, or can be severely conventionalized and so
DESIGNS.
97
rendered as to produce an almost geometric form. The
recurrence of flowers and leaves upon the stem can be arbi-
trarily fixed by the artist according to the effect desired,
and the form of the object to be decorated.
But in all this liberty which is allowable to the decora-
CHINA PAINTING.
tive artist, he must not do violence to the truth. Having
selected a certain type of natural form upon which to found
a scheme of decoration, he should adhere to that type, and
nothing should be introduced into the design which would
be out of harmony with it. This rule is often violated
through ignorance or carelessness. For instance, I have
seen a decorative design representing the ivy with tendrils,
or a design in which a scroll was formed by making the
stem of a flower pass through the latter, and continue its
course with other leaves and blossoms. This last is one of
the vicious features of the ornamentation of the period of
the renaissance, as also that other enormity of drawing hu-
man figures which ended in scroll work. I maintain that
the decorative artist, while allowed the greatest liberty in
the adaptation of natural forms commensurate with truth,
has no right to violate the forms of nature by producing
such deformities.
To attain high excellence in this as in any other branch
of art, requires a certain natural capacity, in addition to
serious study; but here, as elsewhere, there are degrees,
and if a design is unexceptionable as far as it goes, it will
be acceptable, no matter how simple. Art students are too
seldom taught the principles of decoration. Their instruc-
DESIGNS* 99
tion, as a general thing, tends toward the attempt to make
artists of them by the study of the higher branches of art,
which in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred will result in
failure. If the time spent in this way were applied to the
study of the principles of decorative design, the outcome
would have a far greater value both to the student and
the community at large.
The good results of such instruction in the schools of de-
sign in England are evident in the excellent patterns of
some of the wall-paper and other fabrics imported from that
country. It is to be hoped that our own schools will adopt
a like enlightened and practical system of instruction. In
the meantime I would urge those who essay the practice
of decorative art in the painting of china, to make an at-
tempt to produce something which shall exhibit individ-
uality, and not settle down to the slavish copying of the
designs of others.
It will require some thought and study, for like every-
thing else that is worth doing, it is not easy ; but the sat-
isfaction of having produced something original, the exer-
cise of the creative faculty even in a small degree, will give
such pleasure as will be an ample compensation for the
pains.
CHAPTER XIII.
LESSONS TO BE DERIVED FROM
JAPANESE ART.
HE* treasures of Japanese art,
which during the last few years
have been brought within the
reach of all people of artistic
tastes, have produced a pro-
found impression. Their ex-
cellence, in a decorative point
of view, is everywhere recognized, and the study of these
specimens of an original style of art has resulted in a de-
sire to imitate them. It is not in this way, however,
that good can be derived from the study of Japanese art
The reflex action of all such imitative work is injurious to
the copyist who, in proportion to his indulgence in it,
loses the power of vigorous, original production. Besides,
Japanese art can not be truly copied; the spirit of the
original will necessarily be lacking. It is like trying to
copy a sketch by some great master of drawing. It looks
, yet this sketch, which seems so lightly and carelessly
LESSONS TO BE DERIVED FROM JAPANESE ART* IOI
done, is the expression of years of hard study added to
great natural ability, and is in itself the very highest exer-
cise of art that which conceals art. Those who attempt
to copy Japanese art commit the same mistake the begin-
ner would be guilty of, who should attempt to copy the
sketches of a master. The simple design of the Japanese
artist is the expression of much careful study as well as
natural taste and love for his work, which together produce
a result that is inimitable. The greatest benefit can, how-
ever, be derived from the study and application of the
principles upon which his work is produced. Good serv-
ice in the cause of decorative art would be rendered by
one who, with sufficient knowledge of the subject, would
trace the causes which have produced such a unique school
of art, and formulate the principles which underlie its ex-
pression. Enough can be seen from a superficial study of
the methods of these artists to furnish a lesson of great
value to decorators. The chief source of inspiration is
found to come from a loving and observant study of nat-
ure, and in certain directions the evidence of this study is
very apparent. In the sense of beauty of the human fig-
ure, and also in the expression of emotion aside from the
humorous and grotesque, the Japanese are lacking; but in
102 CHIKA PAINTING.
the lower orders of natural forms their knowledge, as well
as the skill displayed in their portrayal, is marvellously
exact While merely suggestive, and never exceeding the
proper limits of decorative art, their designs exhibit a con-
summate knowledge of the principles under which nature's
effects are produced. They follow the methods of nature
in obtaining diversity, while adhering to methodical rules.
They do not try to make the two sides of a thing alike,
but everywhere show an inherent dislike of sameness and
repetition, while at the same time retaining the proper bal
ance and proportion of the parts of the design. In this
they adopt the principles everywhere displayed in natural
forms. For instance, among plants there is a certain law
of development. The leaves upon the stem are produced
at regular intervals, and spring from it at a certain angle,
according to a given arrangement peculiar to the particular
kind of plant. The number of the petals, the stamens,
the pistils, and the divisions of the calyx correspond in
each flower, and the flower-buds are produced from the
axils of the leaves, or according to a certain arrangement
upon the end of the branch. In spite of this methodical
order, however, nature, like the true artist, is an adept in
the concealment of art, and one would never discover the
LESSONS TO BE DERIVED FROM JAPANESE AKT. 1 03
plan of this disposal of the parts without the most careful
observation. By the massing of the whole, a little varia-
tion of the shape of a leaf here, the appearaoce of a tiny
bract upon the stem there, and then from the beautiful
changing tones of color running through all, the charm of
nature is produced. The Japanese artist has noted these
various facts in nature, and cunningly makes use of them.
His flowers, while treated with the greatest freedom of
conventionality, still adhere to the plan of growth peculiar
to the particular plant represented.
A valuable lesson can also be derived from the pains-
taking care of the Japanese artist, who lovingly works upon
the article he is decorating, sparing no pains to make it
beautiful, not only upon the outside, but in parts that will
scarcely be noticed upon the ends, the under side, even
upon the inside of a box. It can not be denied that this
spirit, in which the artist worked with infinite pains and
with no thought of sordid gain, is passing away with the
increased demand for these wares, brought about by the
opening of Japan to commerce with Europeans, Few artists
can withstand the temptation to over-production induced by
an inordinate demand for their work, and when the desire
of gain invades the mind of the artist, the spirit, in which
only, good work can be produced, disappears. The Japanese
104 CHINA PAINTING.
have not remained invulnerable to this temptation, and
they, while trying to adopt the forms of European civili-
zation with incredible rapidity, are inclined in matters of
art also, to leave their own better methods, and copy the
vitiated specimens of art produced by the people whose
manners and customs they admire. It is a melancholy fact
that thus one of the most original schools of art that the
world has ever seen is fast becoming deteriorated. While
yet we can see earlier and purer specimens of this art,
we should not fail to profit by the lessons to be derived
from it.
The technical skill, as well as the taste for 'color, which
seems to be a natural inheritance of these people, is diffi-
cult to emulate, but the study of nature revealed in the
work of the Japanese artists should furnish a model for
our designers. It is only upon such study and by the Ap-
plication of such principles that a vigorous and original
school of decorative art can be founded. This is what we
in America need more than anything else. The atrocities in
design, which we see every day, would not be perpetrated,
if decorative artists respected their work enough to make
it a matter of serious study, and sought for inspiration at
the only source from which it is to be derived, the open
book of nature.
CHAPTER XIV.
PREPARING GOLD AND SILVER FOR OF
PORCELAIN.
r HE number of which
It Is possible to employ in
the decoration of porcelain
is limited to three: gold,
silver, and platinum. Of
the advantage In the use of
the first of these, which
forms such a splendid auxil-
iary to the colors of the painter of porcelain, it is unnec-
essary to speak. Although gold is in common use, the
method of its preparation is not generally understood, and
as usually inferior preparations only are obtainable, I have
thought that an account of the best method of preparing
it would be useful to amateurs who might desire to pre-
pare it themselves. There are two methods of doing this.
In both, the metal is dissolved in aqua regia and precipi-
tated from the solution in the form of a brown powder.
(105-)
IO6 CHINA PAINTING.
In one, the gold is precipitated by the use of copperas, and
in the other, by mercury. The latter is less costly than
the former, as the deposit of gold in the form of powder
is of greater volume, but the gilding produced by it is not
so heavy, or so durable. It is this method, that is generally
adopted in the production of commercial wares, and any
one who has used a table service decorated with such gild-
ing, does not need to be told how quickly it wears off un-
der the action of repeated washing. I would, therefore,
recommend the first method, precipitation by copperas, to
those amateurs who can afford to incur the necessary out-
lay of time and money in order to decorate their porcelain
with a fine and durable gilding.
The metal can be procured of the necessary degree of
purity from a jeweler or at a dental depot. The price is
eighty cents per pennyweight Old jewelry of unde-
sirable shape or inartistic workmanship can also be used,
but it is so frequently combined with the baser metals in the
way of filling or alloy that it is not so good for the purpose
as the pure gold procured as above.
Place it in the bottom of a graduated glass and pour
about an ounce and a half of aqua regia upon it* Aqua
regia is a compound of equal volumes of chlorohydric
PORCELAIN DECORATION. 107
and nitric acids> which may be procured from a chemist.
Let it stand until the next day, when, if the metal is not
entirely dissolved, the process can bo facilitated by pouring
the solution of gold, which has been formed, into another
vessel, and adding a little fresh aqua regia to that which
remains. The solution of the gold in aqua regia forms a
chloride of gold. This, it may be said in passing, is an ar-
ticle of commerce and can be procured of the chemist, but
it is the better plan to dissolve the gold coin. It is not
difficult to effect the solution of the metal, and it need not
be disagreeable, although the fumes of the aqua regia are
unpleasant. It is not necessary to carry on the process in
a close room. The vessel in which the solution is effected
can be placed outside the window or in an unoccupied
apartment.
When the gold is entirely dissolved, there will be a small
residuum of white powder in the bottom of the glass, This
is chloride of silver from the alloy in the gold. The solu-
tion of gold must be carefully poured off into another vessel
to get rid of this deposit of silver. It must now be di-
luted with water, and to effect this it can be separated in-
to four parts, each of which is poured into a glass vessel
which will hold about a pint. To each part add about half
108 CHINA PAINTING.
a pint of water, and then add protosulphate of iron (cop-
peras) previously dissolved in warm water, until a precipi-
tate is formed. Precipitation will begin immediately upon
the addition of the copperas, clouding the liquid, and the
gold in the form of a rather light brown powder will be-
gin to fall to the bottom of the vessel Let it stand six
hours, or until it has entirely settled, and then pour off the
clear liquid from the precipitate. It would be better to
save the liquid thus poured off and treat it again with cop-
peras, as the gold held in solution may not all have been
precipitated, and you may, by this means, obtain a greater
quantity of the powder. Fill the vessels containing the pre-
cipitate of gold with clear water, let it stand until it set-
tles, and then pour off the water and replace it by fresh,
repeating the process two or three times. This is to wash
the precipitate. Finally, pour some chlorohydric acid upon
it to eliminate the oxide of iron, which may be present
from the decomposition by the water of an excess of cop-
peras, and then wash it in boiling water. When it has
settled, pour off the water and transfer the still moist pre-
cipitate to a shallow vessel a plate that will bear heat will
do and, placing it over or in front of a moderate fire,
dry it
PORCELAIN DECORATION.
IOQ
We have now the gold precipitate in the form of a pow-
der, which must be prepared for use upon porcelain by
grinding and the addition of a flux to make jt adhere to
the glaze. The rubbing down (it can scarcely be called
grinding, as the powder will be found to already be very
fine) may be facilitated by passing it through a piece of
thin silk or silk muslin.
The flux is formed of nitrate of bismuth twelve parts to
one part of pulverized borax. The nitrate of bismuth is
formed from the precipitation by water of a solution of bis-
muth in nitric acid. Carbonate of potash is sometimes
used to produce this precipitate, but this method must not
be adopted in this case, as the carbonate of potash will also
precipitate the oxides of nickel and copper, and the pres-
ence of the smallest quantity of copper will injure the ef-
fect of the gilding.
Mix one part of the flux described above with twelve
parts of the gold powder. This flux is suited for firing upon
hard porcelain. If the gold is intended for softer ware and
for a lighter firing, borate of lead should be added. The
powder is now ready for use, and may be rubbed down
on the palette with a sufficient quantity of fat oil and
HO CHINA PAINTING.
spirits of turpentine to give it the proper consistency to be
applied with the brush.
The second or cheaper method of producing gold pow-
der, mentioned above, is as follows: Take, as before, pure
gold (page 106), and dissolve it in three-fifths of an ounce
of sal-ammoniac mixed with three-twentieths of an ounce
of nitric acid. Then dissolve two ounces of distilled mer-
cury in one ounce of nitric acid, by the aid of a slight de-
gree of heat. This gives the nitrate of the sub-oxide of
mercury. Add the latter to the dissolved gold, a little at
a time. It forms a voluminous precipitate of gold, which
must be washed for some time in boiling water and then
dried. The method of preparing for use is the same as
that described for the precipitate procured by copperas.
There is also a preparation sold under the name of
" bright gold." This may be classed under the head of
lustres. Lustres are preparations of various metals in a very
much diluted state, which, when applied thinly, give an
iridescent effect. The one under consideration is a lustre
made from gold which, if applied thinly, gives a pinkish
iridescence, but, if applied more thickly, becomes "bright
gold/* It does not need burnishing, but comes from the
fire with a brilliant, metallic lustre. It can be used effect-
PORCELAIN DECORATION. lit
ively upon vases and other articles which will not he sub-
jected to hard usage.
Silver is prepared for use upon porcelain in the follow-
ing way: The metal is dissolved by pouring nitric acid up-
on it in small quantities at a time. The liquid solution is
then placed in a wide-mouthed vessel and diluted with a
considerable amount of distilled water. A piece of copper
introduced into the solution will produce the precipitation
of the silver, which will form in large flakes upon the sur-
face of the copper. Agitate it until the silver is no longer
separated, then pour off the liquid, leaving the precipitate
in the bottom of the vessel. Wash it several times in warm
water, and then dry it. For a flux, mix with it about one-
twelfth of the sub-nitrate of bismuth.
CHAPTER XV.
THE USE OF METALLIC PAINTS UPON PORCELAIN.
S considerable difficulty is
sometimes experienced in the
application of the metals,
some suggestions as to the
proper manner of using paint
made from gold or other
metals may be of use. Ama-
teurs often hesitate to at-
tempt the decoration of por-
celain with metals, from the
idea that they are more difficult to use than the colors.
This fear is groundless, as with ordinary care, added to the
requisite degree of skill in the use of the brush, any one
may soon learn to apply the metallic paints with success.
To describe fine lines or bands as borders, either in colors
or gold, is difficult, and skill in this branch of decoration,
merely mechanical as it is, can only be acquired by much
practice. But, after all, formal bands or lines are seldom
THE USE OF METALLIC PAINTS UPON PORCELAIN* 113
needed in artistic decoration, and if a simple edge of gold
is required, it can be managed by the aid of a decorator's
wheel, which can be procured of any dealer in artists' ma-
terials, and should always form part of the furniture of the
china painter's table. For describing such edges, and for all
lines in decoration, a slender camel's-hair brush, with hairs
all of the same length, called a tracer or lining brush,
should be used. These brushes can be procured of various
sizes, according to the width of line desired.
Of the various metals that can be used by the decorator
of porcelain, gold is the most important in a decorative
point of view, as well as the most generally useful I
have described the best method of preparing gold, and
would advise the china painter to have it prepared in
this manner for all fine work. It is much handsomer, as
well as more durable, than the gold ordinarily used. As
the poorer quality of gold generally requires a second ap-
plication to produce a satisfactory gilding, the better qual-
ity will not be found more expensive in the end. It is
best to keep the prepared gold in the form of powder,
which can be rubbed down with a little fat oil, to which
enough spirits of turpentine is added to reduce it to the
proper consistency when it is to be used. This is a very
114
CHINA PAINTING.
nice point in the application of gold. If, made too thin by
an excess of turpentine, the amount of gold laid upon the
surface of the china will be insufficient to produce a solid
gilding. Neither should too much fat oil be used, but just
enough to cause the paint to go on smoothly and to ad-
here to the porcelain. It might even be used without fat
oil, but it would not work quite so smoothly, and would
also rub off easily when dry, so that there would be dan-
ger that the decoration might be injured in the necessary
handling before firing.
It is best, therefore, to mix the gold powder, just before
using, with a very small quantity of fat oil and just enough
spirits of turpentine to render it possible to lay it on
smoothly, and in laying it on to be careful to cover the
surface thickly enough to prevent the china showing through
after it is fired. If an extended surface is to be covered,
the brush marks must be obliterated by the use of a soft
blending brush before the paint has dried, or it may be
"dabbled" upon the surface by means of the blending
brush. Another method of -applying it, which, if skilfully
performed, would be better for large surfaces, such as dead
gold backgrounds, is to spread a sort of varnish upbn the
surfece to be gilded, and then, when it has dried so as -to
THE USE OF METALLIC PAINTS UPON PORCELAIN. H5
be slightly tacky, to dust the gold powder in by means of
a blending brush. A preparation called ground-laying oil
can be procured from the decorators, which will answer
this purpose, but a varnish for the application of gold can
be made of asphaltum four parts, essence of turpentine six
parts, and boiled linseed oil three parts. Boil the mixture
half an hour, stirring it meanwhile with a stick, upon the
end of which a linen bag containing litharge has been fast-
ened. The consistency of this varnish should be about that
of a thick syrup. If it is too thin, the fault can be reme-
died by evaporating the turpentine ; if too thick, by adding
more.
After firing, the gold appears dead and must then be
rubbed with an agate burnisher if a more brilliant effect is
desired. To do this properly, the burnishing tool must be
perfectly smooth, and should be passed with firm and even
pressure over every part of the surface of the gold to be
burnished. If carelessly done, there will be spots left un-
burnished, giving a worn effect to the gold. If the bur-
nisher is not in good condition, or the pressure is too great,
the glaze of the surrounding surface of the china may be
scratched In many cases it is more beautiful unbunrished,
or, a combination of dead and burnished gold may add
II 6 CHINA PAINTING.
much to the decorative effect. If it is intended that the
gold shall be left with a dead surface, it must be fired at
a higher degree of heat than the ordinary temperature.
When fired, it can be rubbed with chamois-skin and with
powder such as that used in polishing silver. If the gold
rubs off when an attempt is made to polish or burnish it,
it shows that the fire was too weak to fix it upon the sur-
face, and the piece must be refired. If a finish less brill-
iant than burnished gold, and with a greater degree of polish
than dead gold is desired, the decoration can be burnished
and the piece refired and left with the polish with which
it comes from the kiln. Designs may be painted upon
china with a raising preparation and afterward gilded, as,
for instance, a pattern of conventional fleur-de-lis or a geo-
metrical pattern of dots and figures for a back-ground.
The gilding should not in this case be burnished. After
the raising preparation is applied to the piece, it should
be fired before being gilded.
The preparation of gold in common use, called bright
gold, referred to in the previous chapter, which, although
inferior in quality and appearance to the gold mentioned
above, yet can be used with pleasing effect upon large
pieces for ornament alone, where the fine gold would be
THE USE OF METALLIC PAINTS UPON PORCELAIN. 1 1 J
too expensive. Its cheapness and the ease with which it
can be applied are recommendations which are irresistible in
some cases. In pottery finished with a semi-glaze it produces
a very good dead gold effect; on glazed surfaces it comes
from the kiln with a rather garish brilliancy. It is sold in
bottles in a liquid state and is usually in the right condi-
tion for use when procured. If too thin, a portion can be
poured out upon a saucer a short time before it is to be used.
Exposed to the air, it soon dries. When just beginning to
thicken, it is in excellent condition to work with. When
it becomes too thick, as it soon will in a warm room, it
can be thinned with spirits of turpentine. It is not well to
introduce the turpentine into the mixture with the brush,
however, but a very small quantity of turpentine should be
taken upon the palette knife and rubbed well into the gold,
so that it shall be evenly diluted. If too much turpentine
is introduced into it, the paint will spread in a very alarm-
ing manner upon its application to the porcelain, making a
broad and ragged line. When this happens, wipe off the
part of the work thus injured, and either wait until the
gold has begun to thicken before commencing again, or
give it more body by adding some of the thicker liquid
from the bottle. Bright gold should be laid on with a uni-
1 1 8 CHINA FAINTING.
form thickness throughout, but need not be applied as
thickly as the other gold, as a rather light application of
it will produce an astonishingly brilliant effect on firing.
Applied in a very thin wash, bright gold will produce the
rose-colored lustre, with which, indeed, it is identical. Sil-
ver and other metals are used in the decoration of porce-
lain in the same manner as gold, except that it is neces-
sary to apply three coats of silver, drying each in a stove
before the next is laid. It is then fired, afterward bur-
nished, and fired again. Silver can be applied on gold, or
gold on silver, if the metals are pure.
Bronzes of various colors are prepared by Hancock &
Sons, which can be used in combination with gold, silver,
and colors with very pleasing effect. Of these a dark
bronze of an olive hue, and also the green and red bronzes,
are very good. They come from the firing with a dead
surface, which may be burnished, if desired, in the same
manner as gold.
CHAPTER XVI.
LETTERING.
ETTERING, either in mono-
grams or in mottoes express-
ive of some appropriate senti-
ment, can be made to play an
important part in the decora-
tion of porcelain. Mottoes or
inscriptions appear upon much
of the old pottery, as well as
upon some of more recent date. The Chinese and Japanese
place inscriptions on their ware, explanatory of the pictures
portrayed upon it. The old Italian majolica was made the
means of much pretty love-making, and we know from
the inscription on the scroll surrounding her head, that
some lady, who seems to us of most uncommon ugliness,
was "bella" to her lover. Later, the English potters
catered to what was supposed to be American taste, with
perhaps only too much acceptance, by making the hideous
but patriotic pottery decorated with portraits of Washington,
(119)
I2 o CHINA PAINTING.
or with American scenes bearing dates and appropriate
mottoes, printed upon its surface.
Letters require the most careful drawing, yet the cor-
rectness of eye and steadiness of hand necessary for such
drawing may be the possession of one to whom work of a
more artistic character would be impossible. Such a one
could accomplish decorations upon plates or upon panels
or tiles to be inserted in walls, mantel-pieces, or furniture,
that would be very acceptable in a decorative point of
view. The mottoes portrayed in the style of illuminations
would then form the principal decoration, but they can also
be used with good effect as subordinate to other designs.
Coats of arms with their mottoes can be used upon the
china of those who possess them by inheritance, and for
those who do not, monograms must serve the purpose.
Many designs of monograms are published, but they are
not often very good. The best models for letters to be
used in this way are found in the old illuminated manu-
scripts. Drawings of alphabets taken from old illuminations
can be found in the manual of Messrs, Tymms and Wyatt
on the " Art of Illuminating," and in a small manual and
companion to the manual, which form two of the shilling
hand-books of Winsor and Newton. Good designs can be
LETTERING.
obtained from the old manuscripts, especially those of the
fourteenth century, when the art was at the period of its
highest development.
The simplest form of letter consistent with elegance of
shape, is the best. The law, that ornament should grow
out of the construction, applies here as elsewhere* The
ordinary decorator, in designing a letter, seems to let his
fancy run riot, and overloads the outline with senseless or-
nament. Bosses and projections are put on in every con-
ceivable shape, without any excuse for their being. Study
of the best models will show greater simplicity of form,
Whenever any curve or swelling projection is added, it
grows naturally out of the construction, and is not stuck on
without any connection with the original form of the let-
ter. Any ornament which is added must be in the shape
of a background separated from the letter, and subordinate
to it.
In designing a monogram, an effort should be made to
give the principal letter prominence, either in size or color,
to have the monogram legible, and so arranged that the
letters will naturally be read in the order intended. In
painting one on china, a good arrangement is gold, black,
and red. If the name of a person, the letter of the sur-
122 CHINA FAINTING.
name might be made entirely of gold, with an outline of
black all around or only on one side, accenting the shad-
owed side of the latter ; the first letter of the Christian
name might be in red, either a slender letter in solid red,
or red outlined with gold; and the letter of the middle
name might be a slender black letter*
If the gold, instructions for making which have been
given in a previous chapter, is used, it may be put on with
the colors, only where the letters interlace care should be
taken that the color is not laid over the gold, or the gold
over the color. Each must be laid directly on the china,
and they must not impinge upon each other. If a poorer
quality of gold is used, the proximity of the colors may
injure the gold, and it will probably require a second ap-
plication. The best quality of gold, however, produces such
a solid gilding, that no difficulty will be experienced in
firing it and colors together. In making letters or mono
grams, a fine brush must be used. A fine lining brush is
good for makitig the fine lines, which must be of the same
thickness throughout Great care, considerable steadiness
of hand, and practice with the brush are necessary to ex-
cellence in painting letters. The slightest irregularity will
be painfully apparent The drawing may be made upon
LET1I&IN& $23
the china with a lithographic ctayon, If, however, the
painter can not trust himself to get a correct outline in
this way, the design may be made first upon a piece of
paper. An upright line should be drawn through the
center, and also one at right angles to it. If the letter is
one formed of two halves exactly alike, the paper can be
folded along the central line after one half is drawn, and
by rubbing a smooth rounded surface over the paper, an
impression of the other side of the letter will be made,
which will correspond with the one already drawn. When
the letter or monogram has been carefully drawn on the
paper, it can be traced on the reverse side by holding the
paper up to the window. This tracing must be made with
% lithographic crayon, and when finished, the side upon
which the tracing has been made is laid upon the china,
and by rubbing the upper side with something smooth and
hard, the outline will be printed upon the surface. The
same tracing can be used several times without renewal, if
it is desired to repeat the same monogram upon other
pieces. Of late a fancy for quaint and even archaic styles
of lettering has been revived, This gives the artist greater
freedom, as although much care must be exercised in form-
ing even such letters, yet slight irregularities will not be
124 CHINA PAINTING.
noticed as in those of a more formal style. Examples of
numerous kinds of such lettering may be seen in the cur-
rent magazines, some of them very good. Such quaint
and fanciful lettering may be used for mottoes which are
subordinate to other designs, and the words may be de-
signedly placed, so as to run through the decoration in an
irregular manner, so that the effect will not be too pro-
nounced, but will only be discovered upon careful exam-
ination of the design. In this way charming effects may
be produced, and the interest of the piece of china, espe-
cially if intended for some special purpose, as a gift to a
friend or to commemorate some event, may be greatly en-
hanced.
CHAPTER XVII,
THE USE OF RELIEF COLORS.
[HE use of relief colors
hard porcelain Is usually
confined to the production
of raised patterns in gild-
ing, the representation of
the pattern in lace or em-
broidery, or the glitter of
reflected light upon shining
surfaces. Even in this lim-
"ted degree, relief colors are a valuable addition to the
palette of the china painter, but their use could be ex-
tended much farther in decorative work. Instances of such
use can be found in Japanese and Chinese wares, in which
relief colors form a very important part of the decoration.
When the decoration is in any large degree to be pro-
duced by relief colors, it is better to choose Ivory-white
ware, or some other kind of light earthenware, as the body
( 125)
126 CHINA PAINTING.
upon which to work, rather than hard porcelain, as relief
colors are more likely to blister upon the latter substance
when used in masses.
For producing relief in gilded work, the best preparation
is doubtless that of Hancock & Sons. This will bear a
hard firing without blistering. It is simply a yellow re-
lief color, which should be procured in the form of powder,
and can be mixed with a very little fat oil and a consid-
erable quantity of spirits of turpentine. If too much fat
oil is used, the paint will run, which will be fatal to the
effect of the work, and it would also be more liable to
blister in the firing. It could be used with spirits of tur-
pentine alone, but the paint would crumble and rub off
at the slightest touch, before it had been fixed by the
firing. It is better, therefore, to mix a drop of fat oil
with it The paint must be of such consistency that it can
be lifted upon the brush in masses and transferred to the
china, forming dots and figures in relief. These colors being
necessarily opaque and intended to be used in masses,
form a contrast to the other china colors, which are laid
on in thin washes, or at most only in sufficient degree to
cover the surface upon which they are applied. They will
seem a little clumsy and difficult to manage at first, but
THE USE OF RELIEF COLORS,
by practice dexterity can be acquired. It is better to fire
the relief pattern before applying the gold. If burnish
gold is used, it can be burnished after firing, if required,
just as upon a flat surface. The royal Worcester por-
celain furnishes many examples of very dainty use of re-
lief, upon which both gold and bronzes of various colors
are applied with excellent effect.
The Lemonnier ware affords an example of a distinct
form of the use of relief colors. In this the ware upon
which the decoration is produced is a kind of soft white or
cream-colored earthenware, upon which flowers are painted
in a naturalistic manner upon a clouded ground, usually of
a dark color. The highest lights of the flowers are laid in
with relief colors, the remainder of the design being in
transparent tints. To decorate in this style, take white
or light cream-colored earthenware and paint flowers of a
light color upon a dark mottled ground. To save the
trouble of scratching out the design after the background
has been painted, paint the design with powdered chalk
mixed with gum water before laying in the background.
The whole surface of the design must be painted over
solidly with the chalk and gum water, and care must be
taken to have the outlines correct. In order to see these
CHINA PAINTING.
outlines without difficulty during the process of laying in
the design, the chalk may be colored with some bright
water color such as carmine. When this is dry, the back-
ground can be laid in with a large brush all over the sur-
face without any care as to the design.
A very pretty background can be made with brown
green, deep blue green, and green No. 36. The colors, in
considerable quantity, if the surface is of any size, may be
rubbed down separately with a little spirits of turpentine,
and only missed with the brush in laying on the back-
ground, producing an effect of varied tints in which the
colors appear alone and in every variety of combination.
When the background has become thorougly dry, either
soak the piece in water or let water from a faucet run over
it* The chalk and gum water can then be gently detached
from the surface with the finger or with a bit of cotton,
leaving the design in white upon the ware. It can then be
painted in the usual manner, except that the highest lights
are to be laid in with relief colors*
Another use of relief colors, which may be mentioned,
is for decoration in the style of Longwy ware. This is
done upon the unglazed surface of white or cream-colored
earthenware. A kind of ware of soft white body, glazed
THE USE OF RELIEF COLORS, 129
upon the inside, but entirely without glaze on the outside,
can be procured for the purpose. The whole surface to
be decorated is then covered with a mosaic of color in re-
lief, the design being outlined with black. The outline
should be painted first with clear black lines, which it
would be better to fire before the relief colors are laid in.
When the outline of the entire design has been prepared,
the colors are painted in the spaces between the lines.
They must be mixed with fat oil and turpentine and made
rather thin, as the unglazed surface of the ware absorbs
the turpentine, and it will be impossible to lay the color
properly if it is too dry. The paint must be applied very
thickly, because there should be an actual relief after
firing, and it should not be so thin as to reveal the sur
face of the ware through the colors. Roughness in the sur-
face of this mosaic of color need not give any concern, as
the firing will reduce and transform its unsightly appearance,
and it will come from the fire with the smoothness and
beauty of enamel The color will be much darker and
more brilliant, and it will be necessary to provide for this
change. The defect of the ware of this style, as generally
seen, is gaudiness of color No great variety of tints can
be procured in relief colors, two or three shades each of
130
CHINA PAINTING.
THE USE OF RELIEF COLORS.
red, green, yellow, and blue, with black and white,
the extent, but they can be mixed with each other or With
the transparent colors to change the tints. White rtlfef
color can also be laid on and afterward washed over With
various transparent colors.
Care must be taken in using relief and transparent col-
ors to employ different brushes for the two kinds of colors,
or the brushes used for the relief colors should be very
carefully washed before being used for transparent colors*
The reason for this is that the relief colors are rather
gritty, and although this quality is not apparent after they
are fired, some of these gritty particles may adhere to the
brush used for them, if it is not carefully washed, and
these particles becoming mixed with the transparent colors,
will produce a disagreeable roughness on the surface.
These methods of using relief colors have been described
for the guidance of the china painter, but they do not nec-
essarily limit the use of these colors, and are merely
offered as suggestions from which other uses of these im-
portant aids in decoration may be evolved.
CHAPTER XVIII.
FIRING.
LTHOUGH a very important
part of the decoration of por-
celain, the one, indeed, which
crowns the work with suc-
cess or dooms it to failure,
firing is not the occult pro-
cess it is supposed to be by
the uninitiated. The idea of
causing the dainty piece of
china, upon which many hours
of labor have been bestowed, to endure a temperature which
is raised to white heat, is somewhat alarming to the novice,
but if properly managed, the most delicate painting will
come from this intense heat not injured, but beautified.
In every large city there are decorators who fire the
work of amateurs, but the introduction of portable kilns
now renders it possible for them to do this part of the
work at home, with little trouble and with much less ex-
FiRIHG. 133
pense than is incurred in having it done by the professional
firer. These kilns also make the execution of the best
work practicable by enabling the artist to give his pieces
the exact degree of heat demanded by the particular style
of work. They are also very easily managed. The one
in most general use consists of an iron pot with a cover
in which the china is placed, and around which, between
it and an outside wall of fire clay tiles, is a space of three
or four inches to contain the fuel. The pot, as well as the
cover, is provided with a vent from which a short iron pipe
proceeds. The whole apparatus is elevated upon three feet
The fuel used is charcoal
These kilns can be procured of various sizes to suit the
needs of decorators. The size which it is best for an ama-
teur to use depends upon the amount and kind of work
which is to be fired in it A small kiln is more econom-
ical in the matter of fuel, but on the other hand will not
hold pieces of any considerable dimensions, and there is
danger of the breakage of pieces which are dispropor-
tionately large. A kiln of the smallest size can be fired
with twenty cents' worth of charcoal, while one of a capac-
ity of twelve by sixteen inches will require twice as much
fuel. A shelf is provided for use when a number of small
134 CHINA PAINTING.
articles are to be fired ; this allows twice as many pieces
to be well placed. The kiln should be placed out of doors,
in as sheltered a situation as possible. The fumes of the
charcoal would be too oppressive in a room or cellar. It
can, however, be used upon a porch by taking the neces-
sary precautions against fire. A piece of sheet iron should
be laid upon the floor beneath it, and the kiln should
also be raised by placing the feet upon bricks. A round
sheet-iron pan can be procured of such dimensions that it
can be slipped under the kiln between the feet. This
should also be set upon bricks. Into this pan the coals
can be allowed to fall, when, a sufficient degree of heat
having been attained, a slide at the bottom of the kiln,
arranged for this purpose, is drawn. It would be more con-
venient to have such a pan underneath the kiln to receive
the coals in any case. These kilns are easily set up, ac-
cording to directions given by the makers.
Before beginning to set the pieces to be fired in the
kiln, it is better to have some charcoal ignited, for the
purpose of starting the fire. This is done by placing a few
pieces of charcoal with some kindling and red coals in the
perforated iron basket which comes with the kiln. By the
time the pieces are placed in the kiln, the coals will gen-
FIRING,
erally be ignited to a sufficient degree to start the fire*
The pieces of china should be placed upon fire clay stilts,
and in arranging them in the kiln care should be taken
that they do not touch each other. The stilts should also
be so placed that the points upon which the china rests
do not come in any part of the piece where they can in-
jure the painting. Perfect stilts, those having sharp points,
should always be chosen, as a stilt, the point of which has
been broken, may come against some part of the painting
where it will leave an unsightly spot The position of the
article is immaterial, that is, it may be placed sidewise or
upside down if convenience so dictate, but it must rest so
firmly upon the stilt by which it is supported, that any
slight jarring of the kiln, which might easily occur in pat-
ting in the fuel, will not cause it to slip out of place and
perhaps against another piece. If the article is a laige one,
it should be placed as near the centre of the kiln as pos-
sible so as to receive the heat evenly, and there mtist not
be too heavy a weight placed on top of it. One piece may
be placed upon another, only with this caution, that heavy
pieces should not be placed upon light ones or any weight
upon a large piece. With large pieces the danger of firing
in a small 'kiln -is greatly increased, as the intense heat is
136 CHINA PAINTING.
attained so quickly that the piece is liable to be broken,
unless great care is exercised.
The pieces being properly arranged, the cover is re-
placed upon the iron pot, and the vent-holes are closed
with wads of paper to prevent dust from getting inside
during the process of putting in the fuel. The kiln is now
ready for the fire, and the coals, which have been ignited
in the iron basket, are now to be distributed evenly around
and upon the top of the pot, and the kiln is then filled with
charcoal, which should also be heaped upon the top. The
paper wads must now be removed from the vent-holes.
In from one-half to three-quarters of an hour the kiln will
be heated to the greatest possible degree. The length of
time in which this temperature is attained will vary ac-
cording to the quantity -of ignited coals which have -been
used to kindle the fire and the state of the atmosphere.
It is better to have the fire kindle slowly, so that the china
may be gradually tempered to endure the heat. This
caution should be especially observed if large pieces are to
be fired, and for this reason, in any case, it is better to
avoid firing on a windy day, as the wind fans the coals
and ignites them so quickly that the fire is brought to a
very high temperature too suddenly. A rainy day should
FIRING,
also be avoided, unless the kiln is so placed as to be
sheltered from drops of rain. The least moisture penetrat*
ing the kiln will injure the glaze.
The temperature may be observed by looking into the
vent-holes. When heated to the highest degree, the china
will be visible inside, appearing of an intense whiteness
relieved against the red-hot iron. When this point has
been reached, the slide may be drawn and the red coals
dropped into the pan, and the kiln allowed to cool. When
there is plenty of time, it will do no harm to let the coals
remain in the kiln and gradually burn out, that is, if the
articles fired are of such a character as to demand the
highest degree of heat, as no higher temperature than
that indicated by the appearance described will be reached.
Letting the fire burn out of itself is a good practice in very
cold weather, as it insures a very gradual cooling of the
kiln. In firing certain kinds of decoration, especially that
of relief colors or certain of the more fusible pigments, it
may be desirable to stop the fire before it has reached the
highest temperature ; but for gold, especially when a dead
surface without burnishing is desired, the highest degree
of heat is requisite. A high temperature in firing also in-
sures a fine glaze to all colors which will bear it.
138 CHINA PAINTING.
The time required for the kiln to cool sufficiently to
permit its being opened will depend upon the temperature
of the air and upon the size of the kiln. To prevent
scaling of the colors, it is better to allow the pieces to re-
main in the kiln until they are sufficiently cool to permit
their being held in the hands while they are removed,
The kiln should never be opened in less than an hour or
so after the fire has been stopped, as a current of cold air
upon the heated china will cause it to break. For fear of
accidents it is better to moderate the impatient desire to
see the contents of the kiln, and to refrain from opening
until it is perfectly certain that they have cooled sufficiently
to permit their removal without injury* When taken out,
articles fired according to the directions here given will be
found to have a very brilliant glaze. The surfaces will be
slightly rough on coming from the kiln, but this rough-
ness can be entirely removed by rubbing with emery paper.
The description given applies to the earliest and simplest
form of portable kilns. Of more recent invention are the
kilns fired with coal oil, and for those to whom city gas is
accessible, are the very convenient gas kilns.
INDEX.
Alphabets for lettering, 120
Alchohol as a medium, , 69, 90
Application of gold, . . . . . . . 114
Application of mat colors, 56
Appropriateness of design, ...... 73, 92
Bright gold, 00,116
Bronzes, IlS
Care of tube colors, ! ^
Classification of colors, 22
Colors for foliage, ....... 9
Colors for flowers, ........ 3
Colors for painting heads, ....* 31
Colors for landscapes, 34
Drying, X 3
Dusted grounds, &
Firing of carmine, 22
Firing paste, ^ !
Flux for gold, ..-... I0 9
Fusible colors, 2 S
Hard colors, ; 2 S
039)
I4O INDEX.
PAGES
Mediums, ....* 13, 60
Mixing colors, . . . . ' '. * 23
Monochrome painting, , 26
Monograms, ....... . * 121
Outlining designs, ......-" 9
Polishing metals, 64, 116
Preparation of gold, 105, no
Preparation of silver, ....... i n
Preparation of powdered colors, 45
Reglazing, 26
Removing ground colors, 5
Reserving design in ground color, . . . . I2 7
Tracing, 10
Washing brushes, - 17
