November, 1906 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



319 



This is only one process of making a vase. Different 

 wares require different processes. If a color glaze is wanted, 

 the result is obtained by another method. The vase in clay 

 form is placed in the dryroom, after which it is burned once, 

 producing the biscuit state. Then the color glazes are 

 applied, which are made by mixing various colored minerals 



Spraying On the Colors 



in the glaze. After having been burnt again it comes out 

 of the kiln a perfect piece of ware. 



In case an overglaze effect is desired, the piece of ware 

 in biscuit state is dipped into a transparent glaze, after which 

 it is fired and comes out of the kiln plain white. It is then 

 taken to the decorating room, where it receives an applica- 

 tion of what is known as overglaze colors. These are min- 

 erals which melt or fuse at a low heat. After these colors 

 and the gold desired are applied, it is again burned in what 

 is known as a gold kiln at a low heat. This makes the gold 

 bright, and also brings out the 

 other colors to the desired 

 shades. 



These are the principal pro- 

 cesses by which different kinds 

 of pottery are made. Experi- 

 ments are constantly being car- 

 ried on to produce effects never 

 before obtained, and in pottery 

 as in painting, the artists en- 

 deavor to secure the rich colors 

 and effects given us by artists of 

 previous centuries. 



Many beautiful wares have 

 been placed upon the market by 

 domestic manufacturers. Some 

 of these are made without any 

 attempt at reproduction from 

 any ware, while some very clev- 

 er reproductions have been 

 made of wares centuries old. A 

 notable one of the latter is the 

 Henri Deux ware. The origi- 

 nal of this was made in France 

 between the years 1524 and 

 1537, and so called because of 

 the frequent occurrence of this 

 monarch's cypher in the decora- 



tion. Only fifty-three pieces of the original ware are said 

 to be in existence, valued at $140,000. The forms in most 

 cases are very elaborate. The ware is a fine white clay to 

 which a delicate tinge has been given by a slight tinge of 

 yellow in the glaze. The patterns, which are very intri- 

 cate, and seem to have been suggested by the ornate book 

 covers of that period, have been pressed into the clay, w here- 

 upon these sunken portions were filled up with different 

 colored clays in yellow, buff and brown. As all these clays 

 had to be shrunk during the tiring in exactly the same pro- 

 portion, the difficulties attending the manufacture may well 

 be imagined. It was an ambitious undertaking indeed to 

 attempt to reproduce a ware of this characti 



Another ware, perhaps the most conprehensive of all 

 domestic wares, is called the Gloss Utopian. This is highly 

 glazed in rich browns with the yellow tints and blends so 

 often seen in pottery. It comprises large and small pieces, 

 from the umbrella jar to a tiny vase. One odd piece is a 

 teapot after the old Egyptian shapes, and another is a Cala- 

 bash whiskey jug. The decorations used on this ware vary, 

 according to the use for which the piece is ordained. Some 

 pieces have animal or floral decorations, while the decora- 

 tion of more pretentious vases and plaques is often a head of 

 some celebrity or an Indian. No two pieces are ever 

 decorated with the same head. 



Perhaps one of the most costly of American wares is the 

 opalescent inlaid ware. In making this, the gold is laid over 

 the clay. Then the vase is splattered with a pure white min- 

 eral, through which the gold shows. The decorations of 

 flowers and conventional designs are inlaid in gold. 



One does not, in these days of beautiful pottery, need to 

 be urged to take an interest in this beautiful art. Our modern 

 potters are making more and more beautiful work daily, work 

 beautiful in form, fine in texture and original in decoration. 

 Moreover, we have all the beautiful pottery of earlier periods 

 to see and enjoy, and the enjoyment is not the less because 

 much of the best of it has found permanent homes in the 

 museums. On the contrary, this is a distinct advantage, since 

 many more people are able to delight in it. The making of 

 modern pottery is, however, becoming more and more an art 

 and less a manufacture. The advantages of this change are 

 manv and obvious. 



Dipping into the Glaze after First Firing 



