ON DEAD-SILVERING PORCELAIN. 
57 
ART. XVL— ON THE PROCESS OF M. ARMAND ROUSSEAU, FOR 
PRODUCING UPON PORCELAIN A FINE DEAD SILVEF, 
NOT AFFECTED BY SULPHUROUS EXHALATIONS. 
By M, Alexander Brokgniart. 
M. Armand RousseaUj decorator of porcelain, presented 
to the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Paris, speci- 
mens of porcelain, the principal decoration of which con- 
sists of wavy lines, having the appearance of dead silver. 
This dead silver, which is of a fine white colour, being re- 
lieved by ornaments of blue or any other lively colour, pro- 
duces a very good effect, and presents the appearance at 
first sight of white mother-of-pearl, or that vi^hich reflects 
no prismatic colours. 
This application of silver on porcelain was well known 
before M. Rousseau's process ; but the results were in 
general imperfect, being less pure, and possessing less metai 
than the specimens submitted to the Society. The dead 
silver prepared and applied by M. Rousseau admits of a 
very fine burnish being applied, the ground presenting the 
appearance of white pearl, which sets off to great advan- 
tage the ornaments painted thereon. The new process 
possesses, however, another advantage, of much greater 
importance than the above-mentioned improvements. It 
is well known, that by the action of air, charged with the 
most minute portion of sulphurous particles, silver loses, 
first its lustre, then its metallic appearance, and finally 
assumes a leaden appearance, approaching to black; this 
serious defect has caused the use of metallic silver to be re- 
jected by all manufacturers who wish their porcelain to be 
ornamented in a durable and brilliant manner. The lustre 
may be renewed by cleansing ; but the fine dead appearance 
of the silver, and also the burnishing, are quite destroyed j 
