Porcelain, the hard way: how it's made.

This is my second post about porcelain hand made in Cmielow, Poland. To view the amazing finished items, see the previous post. I will present some facts and trivia about porcelain making that I learned during my visit.

Porcelain starts as a mix of minerals and water poured into a form based on a hand made matrix and model. After a while, excess is poured out to leave only a thin film on the inside of the form. Figurines are, hence, hollow. Each element of a complex figurine is a separately poured form.
Trivia fact: To recognize true porcelain, put it against a light source. Light will shine through the semi-transparent piece.
After hours of drying, a still-soft figurine is taken out of the form and individual pieces "glued" together with the same mineral mixture, seams shaven off, and the piece polished for a smooth finish. All by hand. As you can imagine, the piece is so fragile that many don't survive this step.
Trivia Fact: Porcelain has certain shape memory capability. When you think you sucessfully straightened a small bend or dent in the still-soft piece, it will reappear after the first firing. Tough luck.


Porcelain is then fired in high temperatures in special ovens. Many pieces crack and lose shape during that first firing. What looks like an abstract sculpture in the foreround of the photo should have been the large egg in the background.
Trivia Fact: During first firing, a porcelain piece shrinks by a whopping 18%.

Next, the cooled piece is dipped in glaze. Glaze is dyed with an organic agent (here: pink beet juice) so it's clear that the item is glazed evenly. The bottom is then wiped so the piece does not get stuck to the surface during the following firing. That's why your cups and mugs have a matte "unfinished" ring on the bottom: glaze has been wiped off that part! The dye disappears during firing.

Next, pieces are hand painted by skilled artists and fired, sometimes multiple times between colors. Gilding comes last. Unfired gold paint looks drab brown!

Trivia Fact: Out of every 100 pieces started, only 8 survive till the end of this multi-step process. 8 out of 100 hand made pieces! Think about it next time you think porcelain is expensive.

Thank you, Katarzyna, for your exellent links and contact information in my previous post! I'll paste your comment here for better visibility:
"My name is Kate I am from Porcelain Manufactory AS Cmielow . I see you like our figurines, I am very glad of that… If you would like to buy some of them you can write ne am e-mail krij@cmielow.com.pl You can see our on-line shop www.sklep.cmielow.com.pl ( but prices are in PLN (Polish zloties), if you would like to know in GBP (British Pounds), I will send you the price list by e-mail). If you have any other question please feer free to write."