DECORATING BONE CHINA

To many people this is the most important part of making bone china. Decoration comes in many forms to suit the different tastes of people around the world.

Artisits who are expert in the use of pattern and colour first design the decoration which can be applied either before the ware is glazed, under-glaze decoration, or after glazing, onglaze decoration. On-glaze decoration is by far the most common because the range of colours that can be echieved is larger.

FREEHAND PAINTING

Before 1790 all the decoration on china was hand-painted but, today, it is only used for the very highest quality china.

Freehand painting is one of the most skilled jobs in the pottery industry and it takes years of training to become expert.

GROUNDLAYING

The ware is coated with a thin film of oil and powdred colour is dusted over it. When fired, a very rich and rich solid background colour is obtained.

PRINTING

This is transfer decoration using a single colour. First a copper plate or cylinder is engraved and colou mixed with oil is spread over it. A transfer is taken on specially prepared tissue paper which is rubbed down onto the ware. The tissue paper is soaked off with water and the pattern is left. Prints are sometimes enriched by filing in the pattern with ceramic colors. In the industry this is known as ‘print and tint’.

LITHOGRAPHY

Lithographs are transfers. They are printed on a paper base and covered in a plastic layer. When soaked in water, the plastic and the colors can be slid off and onto the ware. They are then carefully squeezed down to remove any bubbles of air that are trapped underneath. This is by far the most common way of decorating bone china.

GILDING

Gold or platinum is often used to decorate bone china. The precious metal comes in liquid form and is usually applied by hands as lines and bands around rims and handles. Ornatepatterns can be applied with a rubber stamp. There are also specialist kinds of gold decoration:

Acid-gold is when a pattern is etched into the ware with hydroflouric acid then covered with gold to produce a pattern in relief.

Raised-gold is achieved by painting the pattern with enamel paaste and then covering this with gold to give the raised effect.