Topic: How was this made? Graal? Fused? I'm stumped.

[aa]

I've never heard of putting glaze on glass, but since you mention it, I'm going to be brave and bring up an idea that occurred to me before but I didn't dare seriously raise - that it's actually ceramic.  Seems unlikely, I know, but not impossible.  The brown on the interior is one thing that suggests it, since it's common to glaze the inside of ceramic vessels to combat porosity; why (and how) would you do that with glass?  On the other hand, why have a ground circle on the bottom of a ceramic piece?

Try http://pottery.yobunny.com/
They will be able to tell you whether it is ceramic or not. 

[Sklounion]

On the other hand, why have a ground circle on the bottom of a ceramic piece?

Relatively simple really, to remove the signs of kiln furniture that may have become stuck to the item, due to glaze runs.
Regards,
Marcus
(Ex-Geo Wade, Burslem, (makers of Wade "Whimsies" and Bell's Scotch Whiskey bottles) and former kiln-fireman, Geo Wooliscroft and Sons Ltd, Hanley and Etruria)

[krsilber]

True, I hadn't thought of that.  I wouldn't have thought they'd rely on something so small and centered to hold it, plus the rest of the bottom has been ground.  But that could be the reason.

I'd envisioned it fired upside-down, but I suppose if you're going to have runs you don't want it messing up the rim (or worse, sealing it there and having it implode).

So!  A former ceramics worker doesn't think my idea is completely far-fetched!   I've registered with the pottery forum Adam mentioned, and will ask about it there.

[Frank]

No way it is ceramic, look carefully at the pontil scar and you will see it is clear glass and optically distorting the pattern that passes underneath, so the scar may have been polished, but it was not removed.

[krsilber]

But a clear glaze looks just like glass; glazes have many of the same components of glass.  I've heard them described as a type of glass.

This wouldn't be the first time I've seen a ceramic piece mistaken for glass, if indeed that is the case here.

I did a lot of ceramic work in high school and university.  At one time I thought about going into it professionally.  One of my sculptures was shown at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.  It's kind of weird that I'm not interested in it now like I am in glass.

[mtpaul]

looks like hot application bit work

large yellow gather on pipe ..then silver coloured gathers of glass ..bits ..were applied and marvered in to piece ..then tooled in to shapes on surface ..nice tech ..might try it next run ..thanx for link ..eat molten glass

[krsilber]

Thanks for the input, mtpaul.  "Might try it next run"...are you a glass blower? 

The thing is, that still doesn't say anything about how the pattern of colors, fine black lines, and black edge got on the disks, which is the only part I never really understood.

[mtpaul]

Kristie got my curiosity aroused now ..spent a few minutes looking over said piece ..started off with pot of white opal ..coloured up 3 gathers or so ..yellow ..rolled in frit a few times ..created yellow surface ..now thinking ..they took some white glass and rolled in brown enamels or fine frit to brown up surface of white gather ..them think the mottled black lines and patterns look like black enamel over surface ..some times enamel will melt away and leave that look on surface if thinly applied ..maybe surface of gather was tooled to create patterns so when applied as bit on surface ..you get effect ..thought was silver glass at first ..reduction ..patterning ..is cute aesthetics ..try thin enamel less heat on pick up ..might create that effect ..on coloured bit twist while cutting off ..study effects ..practice ...experience as the educator .have fun ..peace out

think hot
work hotter

mt paul

[krsilber]

Kristie got my curiosity aroused now ..spent a few minutes looking over said piece ..started off with pot of white opal ..coloured up 3 gathers or so ..yellow ..rolled in frit a few times ..created yellow surface ..now thinking ..they took some white glass and rolled in brown enamels or fine frit to brown up surface of white gather ..them think the mottled black lines and patterns look like black enamel over surface that's what I thought at the beginning, which is the only reason I suggested graal. ..some times enamel will melt away and leave that look on surface if thinly applied How? what form is the enamel in and is the glass hot or cold? ..maybe surface of gather was tooled to create patterns so when applied as bit on surface ..you get effect  It seems like a pretty fine network of lines - possible by tooling? ..thought was silver glass at first ..reduction ..patterning ..is cute aesthetics ..try thin enamel less heat on pick up ..might create that effect ..on coloured bit twist while cutting off ..study effects ..practice ...experience as the educator .have fun ..peace out

think hot
work hotter

mt paul

Excellent post, nice and detailed about the process...or is it fair to say a hypothesis of the process?  I like it.  Before I saw yours I had noticed something else, and worked out a different idea; I'll throw it out there just for the heck of it, even though I don't know if it would work.

If you look carefully at the disks, you can see a seam in the pattern of lines where the two ends of the rod come together.  If the top of the vase is 12:00, the seams are at about 12:30 or one; you can see two of them in the second photo.  OK, how 'bout this.  Each disk started as a rod of celadon. One side was painted with brown enamel then thin black bands around half the cylinder, and thicker black lines on either side of that (running the length of the rod).  Heat until you can bend it in a circle, make a ring, flatten it, and stick on your vase, intarsia style.  Case with clear. 

I don't know if that would really work, would it? 

The effect looks painterly to me, I really like it.

But wait, the black lines really appear to cut into the celadon a bit.  So is the black embedded in the rod?  So much for my idea.

[Frank]

This really is a puzzle but I still the ink the disks were blown, decorated and flattened separately and marvered in. Possibly then cooled base ground, reheated and yellow trails applied (Except the halo suggest that it was ground after the trailing and its thickness was greater than the amount ground off.

I wonder who made it?