Applying Glaze
1780
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1780
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Dominant colour
Applying Glaze is a 1780 paint by Unknown, a Rococo painting work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This painting shows men in a workshop brushing shiny glaze onto white bowls. Their hands move carefully over curved surfaces, the brushstrokes precise and light. This is one of 24 pictures made to teach Europeans how China made porcelain. Europe could only copy the look before figuring out the real process. The artists used a flat style to keep the focus on the technique, not the men themselves. The simple setting makes the glaze—the glossy finish—look even brighter. Look for the single figure on the left wearing a blue robe. He’s holding a bowl up to the light, checking the glaze’s thickness. Try the Victoria and Albert Museum’s ceramics gallery next.
A rectangular watercolour from around 1780 depicts four figures in an open-air workshop applying glaze to ceramic bowls and dishes, rendered in muted tones. Part of a set of twenty-four works illustrating the Chinese porcelain industry, it reflects European interest in the technical secrets of porcelain production. The scene captures one stage in the pottery-making process, showing workers engaged in the application of glaze to unfinished wares.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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