178 
THE YOUNG SCIENTIST. 
contains a larj^e proportion of felspar, but 
like the soft it contains lead. In this 
case, however, the metallic element is 
only about one-fifth of the whole. Erom 
tlie artist's point of view the approxima- 
tion must be regarded as inclining to- 
wards the soft rather than towards the 
hard, 
8. General Test f 07^ Ha7^dness.—To com- 
plete the differences which we have now 
noticed in our goods, it is only necessary 
to add that the soft ware is, as a rule, of 
a slightly dingy and yellowish lint, and is 
more transi)ar"ent than the other kinds, 
and that the glaze may easily be scratched 
with tlie point of a penknife. A very 
practical test is that boiling water heat 
when suddenly applied is generally suf- 
licient to crack it, but this I fancy will be 
seldom tried. 
9. Ejfect of the Glaze upon the Fainting. 
"We are now in a position to form an 
opinion as to the extent of the infiuence 
wiiich any particular glaze will have upon 
the appearance of tlie work done upon it. 
It follows, from what has been said, that 
the harder the ware and its glaze, the 
more superficial is the latter ; while the 
softer the ware and the more like it its 
glaze, the more complete and intimate is 
the incorporation of the two. 
What to Undertake.— It, however, the 
work be, strictly spejiking, only attached 
to the ware, in that of the soft the flux is 
practically a contlnnatlon of the glaze. The 
mode in which these conditions o|)erate 
upon the painting is immediately obvious 
when it is slated that the pigments are of 
a vitreous nature or are mixed wil h a vit- 
reous vehicle. The harder the glaze, the 
more superficial and less glossy is the 
painting; the softer and thicker the 
glaze, the more deeply does the color 
sink into it. I have an old Augustan 
(Dresden) cai> and saucer, one of the 
i'olors employed in the decoration of 
which has absolutely no union with the 
underlying glaze, and is secured only by 
its coniiection with lh(^ color surrounding 
it. It has properly vitrified, but ha,s not 
become incori)orai"ed with t he hard glaze 
which appears in some spots where the 
color has chipped off. Compare such a, 
work as this with a painting executed ui^on 
a piece of old Sevres, and how striking is 
the difference in the appearance of the 
two. In the former the colors a,re in 
large i)art hard in appearaiice and dry- 
ish, and generally lack that full and per- 
lect gloss to be found on the latter, which 
presents a velvety softness of look. The 
reason is clear. The degree of heat 
adapted to reduce the pigments to a 
proper state of fusion is insufficient to af- 
fect the hard glaze to a corresponding ex- 
tent, and the paint remains on the surface 
and looks more or less dry. If the glaze 
is sufficiently hard some colors may alto- 
gether fail to adhere, and the work of the 
painter, who by mistake has selected a 
piece with such a glaze, be entirely 
thrown away. The softer glaze, on. the 
other hand, yields to the heat sufficient to 
vitrify the pigments, and so these sink 
more or less deeply into the body of the 
glaze, thereby acquiring that peculiar 
depth and richness of tone, which have 
given such charm and value to the old 
English and Erench wares. This very 
l)eculiarity, however, limits its range of 
usefulness, as it is only suitable for cer- 
tam kinds of decoration in which rich 
and very showy colors are required to be 
used pure. The American glaze, from 
the middle position which it occupies, 
possesses most of the advantages of the 
soft,, and practically none of its disadvan- 
tages, and while but little less suited 
than the hitter for the particular work 
just indicated, is best adapted for every 
other kind of work, and is therefore to 
the painter an invaluable description. 
10. Scope of the Amateur's Work. — 
Spjecial Position of the Amateur. — Having 
thus dealt somewhat fully with the special 
characteristics of the different kinds of 
wares, and of their glazes, and also no- 
ticed the effect of those glazes on the 
work, it will perhaps be well to say a. 
word or two upon a subject with regard to> 
which much apprehension exists. This 
is the nature of the work which an ama- 
teur may advantageously undertaK-e, It 
is po[)uiarly supposed that because a. 
pei-son does certain work himself, the re- 
sult is the cheaper by the cost of the 
labor of whoever would otherwise do it. 
This is not always the case, and in noth- 
ing is it less so than in certam branches 
of china-painting. 
The product ions of the ordinary painter, 
whose wages are low, are in the style of 
the $10 dessert service, "ornamented 
with every variety of fruit and flower,, 
magniticently painted by hand," as the 
a,dvertisenients read. Such a man is very 
useful in his way. In certain lines, in- 
deed, such as call for rapid product ion and 
regularity, he cannot well be dispensed ] 
wiih, but with work which demands- 
s]3ecia,l artist ic ability it is otherwise ; the ' 
high-i)ressure rate at which he Avorks pre- ; 
eludes the possibility of his improving ' 
ui)on the i^eculiar style referred to, andl 
that is scarcely, I think, the style which : 
we should like to see exemplified upon'j 
our walls or our furniture, or in an article| 
which we would offer as, say, a birthday 
gift, or a ]^resent in token of friendship- 
or gratitude. Erom him we go by a step j 
to the pottery -artist ; but his work is 
really good, and being, as a rule, expen- 
sive, is within the reach of comparatively 
few. Now it may be iiresumed that the 
gene.ml amateur enters ujion the study of 
diina-painting, primarily with the viev^r 
