Lithophane

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Lithophane (or lithopane) is an etched artwork in thin porcelain that can only be seen clearly when back lit with a light source and the light passes through the porcelain revealing the image.^[1][2] In Greek the name translates close to “light in stone” or to “appear in stone”.^[3][4][5]

Contents 1 History 2 Technique 3 Manufacturers 4 Applications 5 References 6 Footnotes

[edit] History

It is an artform generally credited to Baron Paul de Bourguignon as being the inventor in 1827^[6] of the art we know today.^[2] Bourguignon was from Rubelles, France, and had the copyright to the technique.^[7] His work led to the popularity of lithophanes in the 1800s.^[2]

The very basic forms of the lithophane technique, however, were actually produced in China several decades earlier. The exact origins are not known.^[7] Chinese potters used the lithophane technique to make simple floral designs.^[2] They were traced into fragile walls of extremely thin porcelain vases.^[6][7]

Credit goes to Bourguignon and other European artists,^[8] however, that evolved this basic concept of the earlier Chinese technique of simple early day designs into complex, intricately detailed scenes of a wide variety.^[2][6]

Lithophanes were popular during the nineteenth century,^[4][5] especially during the Victorian period in Europe.^[3][7][8]

[edit] Technique

The technique in making lithophanes is to take a thin sheet of porcelain and carve it into varying degrees of thickness. A light source behind it will result in a highly detailed three-dimensional picture that can then be seen clearly.^[1][5] The soft image quality is like that of a mezzotint.^[2]

The first lithophanes ever made were carved by the artist entirely by hand. Later the artists figured out ways that molds could be made.^[2] This way a mass production could be accomplished for a lower cost.^[6] However, the technique was still very difficult to accomplish.^[6] The artist had to be extremely skilled to make a master mold from which lithophanes could be made.^[2]

First a sheet of wax was placed on a piece of plate glass for etching.^[5] The various degrees of etching on the wax caused varying degrees of gray. The artist drew his design onto the wax with various carving and etching tools.^[2] From this a plaster-of-Paris cast ^[4] was made that was used in molding a porcelain bisque.^[6][5] A porcelain paste was then pressed into the cast picking up all the details of the original master carving when removed from the mold. It was then fired.^[4][5] The technique requires much skill. Less than half ultimately make it to become the final lithophane.^[3]

German sculptors would carve designs into beeswax from which porcelain castings were made.^{[4] [8]} The lithophane effect comes from variations in thickness of porcelain.^[8] The thicker parts are the darker shades and the thinner parts let more light through.^[5] Lithophanes in ambient light look to be only bumpy two-dimensional surfaces and form a vague picture.^[3][4] When the light passing through the lithophane when back-lit it appears to be a three-dimensional painting.^[3][7]

[edit] Manufacturers

During their heyday, lithophanes were produced by many potteries throughout the world. Some of the finest qualities and largest quantities of lithophanes were produced in Germany.^[9] Some of these German manufacturers were Königlichen Porzellan-Manufaktur of Berlin and Porzellanmanufactur of Plaue.^[6]

Some other European companies that produced many of the lithophanes in the nineteenth century were Belleek in Ireland, Limoges in France and the Wedgwood and Worcester potteries in England.^[6][9] There were about two dozen factories all told in the countries of Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, England, France, Italy, and Portugal that made lithophanes in the nineteenth century.^[9] In America the Phoenix Pottery in Pennsylvania produced lithophanes.

Many pieces are marked with these manufacturers' names, but no individual lithophane artists have been identified.^[9]

[edit] Applications

Lithophanes are often hung in front of windows where sunlight streaming through the panel reveal the designs in the porcelain.^[1][4][6] Sometimes they are panels used on lampshades or wall plates so that when the light passes through, the designs can be seen.^[5] The replica designs put into this special porcelain often feature children at play and rural scenes.^[7] Reproductions were also made of famous portraits of well known people as well as popular paintings of the day of scenic panoramas. The designs also included dramatic religious scenes and hunting images.^[7][9]

Lithophanes have been made to fit into many types of lamps since this was an excellent lightsource.^[1] Candle screens were quite popular also,^[4] which consists of a decorative frame holding a lithophane. It is built with a candleholder to illuminate it from the rear with the light source of the candle.^[9]

Multipaneled lamp shades were quite popular.^[4] These ornate shades that would hold from four to six flat panels. The panels were shaped as trapezoids or simply as rectangles. Many time these shades were made to hang from the ceiling.^[9] Some lamps used one-piece hollow castings. These were cylindrical, conical, or round and had several pictures etched in the porcelain.^[9]

Another way for displaying lithophanes was the veilleuse-théières (tea warmer).^[4][5] These fixtures had lithophanes in an enclosure which a candle was lit inside. On top of the enclosure was a metal plate on which a teapot was set. This kept the tea warm from the candle heat of below while the light revealed the lithophane image. ^[9]

A popular application for making lithophanes in Denmark and France was to put them into the bottom of drinking glasses.^[6] An image would appear at the bottom of the glass when one would finish drinking.^[6] In Germany many beer steins and mugs were made with lithophanes at the bottom.^[5] These images were often quite risqué.^[9]

In the early 20th century, Japanese potteries began to produce lavishly decorated tea sets called Dragonware. They have images of geishas in the bottom of the tea cup that can be seen if the cup is held up to a light source. In occupied Japan after WWII, these specialized tea sets were popular for GI trade in Japan. Production of Dragonware tea cup sets tapered off in the 1950s and very few have been made since. ^[9]

Antique lithophanes have been earnestly sought out by knowledgeable collectors.^[9] Since the end of the nineteenth century the specialized original modern techniques that the master craftsmen developed in Europe during that century disappeared when the original artists died off.^[8][9]

[edit] References

Lithophane Tutorial

[edit] Footnotes