POTTERY: HOW IT IS MADE.*
THE author of this book, who is presumedly an American, informs, us rather pompously in his preface that it is the result of long and careful study, and is intended, not only for the benefit of pro- fessional potters and decorators, but for that large class of
persons who are seeking to acquire this art, either for entertain- ment or as a remunerative occupation. His object in writing it is to show that the manufacture of pottery may become one of the great art industries in the United States, to describe the laws- which govern the form and decoration of pottery, and to give- practical instruction in the art of painting thereon.
The book is certainly in some respects in advance of most pamphlets published on pottery, and contains more sound material than most. It is well got up, too ,with numerous illustra- tions many of them designs and hints from the Japanese. The author has evidently, as he tells us, long and carefully studied the subject ; he has read much, and probably visited many manufae- tories ; but that is not sufficient to make an entirely trustworthy- instructor, for he seems wanting in practical experience, and is sometimes misleading and confusing in his endeavours to classify, things too simply. He seems to think he possesses all the know-- ledge of the manufacturers, but we cannot help thinking (though it may be an erroneous belief) that there are still some secrets in the manufacture which would not be divulged to visitors, and that every book on pottery must be more or less founded on speculation ; and for instance, that books like that of Mr. Arnoux, of Minton's -works, from which Mr. Nichols quotes largely,. must deal rather in generalities which will not hurt their employers,
and not give to the public the real, intimate knowledge which they possess of every detail of the subject.
This present book treats the following subjects in their order :—
" 1. A brief history of pottery, with regard to the materials of which it is composed, from the earliest period to the present. 2. How it is- made at the present time. S. The laws which should govern its form. 4. Practical suggestions with regard to its decoration. 5. Chinese and Japanese porcelain,—the secrets of its production. G. Pottery in the United States."
If Mr. Nichols were content with a less ambitious aim than that of writing principally for the benefit of professional potters and decorators, his book might be of more use and value, for he has an artistic perception of the laws which should govern the form and decoration of pottery, and gives many valuable hints and suggestions on the subject.
• Pottery: How it is Made. its Shape, and Decoration. Practical Instructions- for Painting Porcelain and All Hinds of Pottery with Vitriflable and Common OS Colours. By George Ward Nichols. London : Sampson Low and Co. The instruction on the vitrifiable colours for the oven is almost exclusively taken from Lacroix's book, which is reliable enough, as far as it goes, in the classification of the colours according to their chemical composition. It is necessary that every one who wishes to paint on china should understand the importance of knowing something of the chemical composition of colours ; that each is an oxide of a metal, and that in consequence, extreme caution is re- quired in mixing them, which must be regulated according to their chemical composition. As for example, iron colours may be mixed together, and with most of those which contain iron, with- out any fear ; whereas they are eaten up and destroyed by those which contain gold.
As an instance to show how the author trusts too much to his
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study" of the subject, and not enough to practice, we must notice that he follows Lacroix in stating that a steel spatula should not be used in mixing white and blue ; whereas this is always done, at any rate at Minton', with impunity ; and if the colours are slightly discoloured by it in the mixing, the firing will render them perfectly pure again. We think also it is a mis- take his advising the exclusive use of tube colours. "Nearly all professional decorators in America grind their own colours by hand, and until lately amateurs have used colours in the shape of powder ; but this is a most inconvenient way of working, in- volving loss of time and the risk of getting bad colours." But surely amateurs should learn, as well as professionals, to mix their colours well, for there are many valuable colours only to be had in powder. These criticisms are, however, after all, only minor objections, and chiefly tend to show that no book can stand in lieu of practical lessons, though it may be of great assistance.
The part of his subject which Mr. Nichols has most at heart is the future of the pottery manufacture in America. His account shows us that there certainly might be a great opening for art and decorative pottery in that country :—
"Nearly all of the fine pottery and porcelain used in the United States is imported from Europe or Asia. Plain pottery can be made and sold here at less cost than to import it from abroad, but in decor- ated ware there is scarcely any competition with foreign countries. We know but little in the United States of the science and art of decoration, either by hand or printing, and labour is cheaper abroad than here. Were cheap labour, however, as easily obtained in this country as in China or Japan, we should still be unable to succeed in artistic produc- tions of this kind without art education. Ever so little instruction would be of great service; we have potteries which are successful in the manufacture of excellent plain ware; a very little decoration would increase largely its value. Is it not strange, then, that those most in- terested in this production have not gone to work vigorously and per- sistently to find some means of educating designers and decorators as they are required ? In England, France, and Germany, the education of children in drawing and design, both in public and private schools, has given superiority to the manufacture of all objects which require art knowledge in their production."
After establishing satisfactorily the existence in various parts of the United States of the best china clay, Mr. Nichols urges more strenuously this art-education on his fellow-countrymen, with the assurance that "the production of pottery and porcelain, and its ornamentation, have no equal among all the decorative arts in the culture and refinement of the people. This industry will stimu- late art instruction, and in its turn art instruction will furnish the skilled hand, the trained eye, and the brain fruitful with design." On the whole, he has done his work well, though he professes rather more than he can do.
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