Transmutation Porcelain: A Special Chinese Product
There’s a certain porcelain secret hidden in China, it’s a method of making porcelain products whereby there are no images painted on the surface. Rather, beautiful colors and images come out of the glaze itself as it’s fired.
So how is this type of porcelain made?
To make transmutation porcelain, potters simply apply a layer or multiple layers of glaze that was unevenly mixed with copper, cobalt, titanium, manganese, or other metals. These metallic elements will turn into different colors during firing, and altogether they form a pattern that could be a fascinating work of art or a complete flop.
Throughout antiquity, there are known to have been transmutation designs that looked like actual people!
Many factors contribute to the final result: the temperature, the amount of each metallic element in the glaze, and the direction you brush glaze on. So each pattern cannot be duplicated, and one that represents real-life images is almost complete luck.
This is why collectors around the world adore transmutation porcelain. When pure chance creates a beautiful piece of art, most people can’t resist.
The first man to make a transmutation porcelain piece lived in the Song dynasty almost 1,100 years ago. When he saw the vivid colors, he thought there was black magic afoot and quickly smashed everything!
Today, people around the world celebrate this interesting discovery, and some pay thousands of dollars for a single piece.
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