LAB ACTIVITY #6:
HISTORY OF CERAMICS AND
GLASSES
Group 2:
Shainadine A. Tumaliuan
Michael Dantog
Instructor:
Ms. Bernice Carmela Liquigan
Porcelain Figurines
A figurine (a diminutive form of the word figure) or statuette is a small statue that
represents a human, deity or animal, or in practice a pair or small group of them. Figurines
have been made in many media, with clay, metal, wood, glass, and plastic or resin. Ceramic
figurines not made of porcelain are called terracotta in historical contexts.
Prehistory
In China, there are extant Neolithic figurines. European prehistoric figurines of women,
some appearing pregnant, are called Venus figurines, because of their presumed connection to
fertility. The two oldest known examples are made of stone, were found in Africa and Asia,
and are several hundred thousand years old. Many made of fired clay have been found in
Europe that date to 25-30,000 BC, and are the oldest ceramics known.
Olmec figurines in semi-precious stones and pottery had a wide influence all
over Mesoamerica about 1000-500 BC, and were apparently usually kept in houses.
These early figurines are among the first signs of human culture. One cannot know in
some cases how they were used. They probably had religious or ceremonial significance and
may have been used in many types of rituals. Many are found in burials. Some may have been
worn as jewelry or intended to amuse children.
History
Porcelain and other ceramics are common materials for figurines. Ancient Greek
terracotta figurines, made in molds, were a large industry by the Hellenistic period, and ones
in bronze also very common. In Roman art bronze came to predominate. Most of these were
religious, and deposited in large numbers in temples as votive, or kept in the home and
sometimes buried with their owner. But types such as Tanagra figurines included many purely
decorative subjects, such as fashionable ladies. There are many early examples from China,
mainly religious figures in Dehua porcelain, which drove the experimentation in Europe to
replicate the process.
The first European porcelain figurines, were produced in Meissen porcelain, initially in
a plain glazed white, but soon brightly painted in over glaze "enamels", and were soon
produced by neatly all European porcelain factories. The initial function of these seems to have
been as permanent versions of sugar sculptures which were used to decorate tables on special
occasions by European elites, but they soon found a place on mantelpieces and side tables.
There was already some production of earthenware figures in English
delftware and stoneware, for example by John Dwight of the Fulham Pottery in London, and
after 1720 such figures became more popular. By around 1750 pottery figures were being
produced in large numbers all over Europe.
Genre figurines of gallant scenes, beggars or figurines of saints are carved from
pinewood in Val Gardena, South Tyrol (Italy), since the 17th century.
How is the material processed in preparation for its use?
The manufacture of bisque figurines begins as an artist's conception that is modeled in clay.
Once the model is perfected, casts are used to make plaster molds. Greenware is molded and
then fired.
The unglazed pottery is polished, painted, and fired for a second time.
What have been the changes on the composition of and processes
of this material throughout its development?
1.) Figurines out of stone- The earliest stone sculptures ever produced
were Venus figurines that began appearing across Europe from around 30,000
BCE. Another popular feature of pre-historic art, stone relief sculptures can be
found in the caves such as the Cap Blanc, Roc de Sers, and Roc-aux-
Sorciers. Stone statues and reliefs were also widely used in cultures
of Egypt, Persia, Mesopotamian, and Assyria, with these ancient masons and
craftsmen being a key influence on Greek sculpture. The stone is relatively easy
to obtain and carve, and it opens up a wide range of possibilities as it can be
rough-hewn or delicately polished. It comes in many different varieties,
providing artists with a wealth of choices in terms of color, quality,
and hardness. Whether working in igneous, mineral, sedimentary, metamorphic
or semi-precious stones, the end result varies. The softer the stone, the easier it
is to work with. While soapstone is the softest one and is commonly used by
beginning students of stone carving, the hardest and most durable is igneous
rock, formed by the cooling of molten rock, and includes granite, diorite,
and basalt. Stones such as the alabaster, limestone, sandstone or marble occupy
the middle part of the spectrum.
2.) Wooden figurines- In 1874, the missionary Edward T. Doane made the first
mention of carved wooden figures. It is unclear, however, where this
experienced missionary got his information from as he never left his ship, the
Morning Star, to go ashore. Johann Stanislaus Kubary, who visited the island in
1873 and in 1877 while working for the Godeffroy trading company and its
museum, and Carl Jeschke, a ship’s captain who first visited the atoll in 1904
and then regularly between 1910 and 1913, give the most detailed information
on the Nukuoron figures.
Process:
1 – Learn how to handle a wood carving knife.
2 – Cut along the grain.
3 – Sketch out your wood cuts.
3.) Figurines out of metals- Any art work that is crafted from the ‘ores of the
earth,’ including bronze, gold, tin, lead, silver and iron is defined as metal art.
It is also common to see metal art created from various metal alloys, such as
aluminum. Metal art can be either purely decorative or functional and useful. In
the Early Bronze Age, for example, cups and bowls were hammered from metal
– accomplishing both decorative and functional purposes. Although just about
any surviving relic from the Bronze Age might be considered ‘art’ in our day,
metalwork certainly has gradually become more and more decorative in nature
- and the metal sculptures seen today demonstrate this most clearly.
4.) Porcelain Figurines- The raw materials required for making figurines
include plaster for molds, porcelain clay, pumice and water for polishing the
fired pieces, paints or pigments specially created to suit the designer's intent,
and packaging materials. Porcelain clay is a mixture of kaolin, feldspar, and
ground flint. Kaolin is a naturally-occurring, fine clay that primarily consists
of aluminum silicate. Feldspar is a crystalline mineral that also contains
aluminum silicate as well as potassium, sodium, calcium, or barium.
What are the properties of this material that made it suitable for
the major application you chose?
Hardness of this material
Low Thermal Conductivity
High Melting Point
What do you think is the importance of this material in the past,
when it was first utilized, and at present, in our modern society?
The following are the importance of porcelain figurines:
Use as decoratives purposes
Use as deplomatic gift
Use items as a souvenirs or collections
What is the most interesting aspect of this material for you?
For us we choose porcelain figurines because of the following most interesting aspects
of it because of its shiny appearance which is very pleasing to see with our naked eye Second,
the way a figurines is molded and design to look luxurious, and last is on how the figurine
porcelain is evolve o improve from the past and in our modern age,
