Two successors are better than one

Factory ‘De Metaale Pot’ and ‘De Grieksche A’ both played a prominent role in the field of colored glazes. Both are examples of factories that managed to create black-glazed ceramics through their specialized ways.

Two distinct techniques of producing Black Delftware can be defined, one being more complicated and daring than the other. The first technique concerns the addition of black enamel on top of a white surface. This technique overcomes some difficulties associated with working with manganese oxide. De Grieksche A was most famous for employing this more ‘effortless’ approach. First, polychrome enamel decorations were added to the originally white earthenware. After this, the gaps were filled with black. Essentially, the black glaze was used to fill the missing pieces of the puzzle to give the appearance of a completely black surface. The white reserves acted as a barrier against the effects of the manganese oxide reacting with the enamels. . Aronson Antiquairs ‘’The Creation Of The Exotic Black Delft’’ https://www.aronson.com/the-creation-exotic-black-delft/#_ftnref3.

The second and more challenging technique involved applying a black layer on the biscuit (the name given to earthenware when fired only once) to produce a completely black fond. Once this black layer was done, the enamel decorations were added on top. Only limited colors were compatible, because red and green did not react well with the manganese oxide. However, adding a white stabilizing primer resolved this issue and made it possible to still use those colors. Aronson Antiquairs ‘’The Creation Of The Exotic Black Delft’’ https://www.aronson.com/the-creation-exotic-black-delft/#_ftnref3. This demanding technique was successfully mastered by De Metaale Pot factory owned by Lambertus van de Eenhoorn. Aronson, Robert, and Lambooy, Suzanne. Dutch Delftware : Including Selections from a Distinguished Manhattan Collector. Amsterdam: Aronson Antiquairs of Amsterdam, 2009, 40.

An example that was made using the first technique is a teapot with flower motifs and a cherub-like figure [fig.32]. Here it is visible that the black was placed around the decoration. Notice the white reserves around the edges of the enamel decoration. The ribbed teapot with the landscape [fig.33] was produced by De Metaale Pot using the second technique. Here you can tell the difference by looking at the way the colors are applied on top of the black ground. This image shows only the outside of the pot being covered with the black glaze. The inside of the teapot is still white. Moreover, break marks are visible on the lid and around the edges, which breaks the spell that we are looking at neither porcelain nor lacquerware, but a ceramic product instead.

As you can tell by the image of the tea canister, this was produced using the more challenging technique where the paint is added on top of the black surface.

Where does this story leave us? This 18th-century luxury black-glazed tea canister, as mentioned in this narrative, deviates quite a bit from the more conventional Chinese inspired white and blue imitation wares. It has become apparent how the demand for Asian objects was met by the invention of objects such as this faience example, that through its visual trickery, positioned itself on the verge of porcelain and lacquerware. Most notably, this canister mimics the stylistic and decorative features of Asian examples. Finally, it is evident how much the Dutch relied on examples of the East and how much technical skill was required to create objects with this Asian flair.