Lithophanes. . . not adead art form

Article hyMargaret Carney, Ph

LrrHOPHANES ARE THREE-DIMENSIONAL TRANSLU-

cent porcelain plaques which, when backlit,reveal detailed magical images. First created

in Europe in the 1820s, the largest collection of this]9th century art form in the world is on view at theBlair Museum of Lithophanes in Toledo, Ohio, US.

Probably every person v\'ho has ever encountereda lithophane for thefirst time believesthat he or she hasdiscovered a lostVictorian art form.While they weremade in Europeby the hundreds ofthousands in the19th century andthey were wildlypopular for decades,they seem rare today.And while they maybe found in the per-manent collectionsof the grandest ofmuseums, such asthe MetropolitanMuseum of Artin New York, theVictoria & AlbertMuseum in London,the SmithsonianInstitution'sNational Museumof American Historyin Washington, DC,they are seldomon public display.Perhaps they werenot 'lost' but ratherwent out of fashion.Their heyday wasnearly 200 yearsago, during atime when elec-tricity was non-existent, buildinginteriors wereilluminated bycandles and oillamps and heatedby fireplaces.Lithophaneswere incorpo-rated into nightlights, candleshields, tea andfood warmers, lamp shades, fairy lamps, beer steins,tea cups and were hung in windows. When electricity

Facing page: Hannah Blackiuell. I Am What I Am. 2010. Porcelain,56 X IS in. Collection of Bill Gatreaux. Photo by EG Schempf.

Above left: Lithophane Globe Featuring Four Scenes of Women. Ger-man, 19th century, Meissen. Blair Museum ace. no. 1794, 11.5 x 10.5 in.

Courtesy of the Blair Museum of Lithophanes. Photo by William ] Walker, Jr.Above right: Lithophane in a Candle Shield (Unlit). William Penn'sTreaty with the Indians, Meissen, 19th century, 1828-1860. Porcelain,

cast iron frame. 16.75 in/h. Museum Purchase 2011.7, Gregory A KnottMemorial Acquisition Fund. Photo by Gary Gittelson, courtesy ofNezc

Orleans Auction Galleries, Inc.Below left: Esmeralda. German, 19th century. Mounted in stained glass.

PPM 240, Blair Museum ace. no. 978. 9.75 x 8.75 in. Courtesy of theBlair Museum of Lithophanes. Photo by William J Walker, Jr.

Beloiv right: Five-sided Veilleuse Théière Featuring Faust andGretchen. Attributed to Jacob Petit, French, 19th century. Blair Museum

ace. no. 2512, 11.5 in/h. Courtesy of the Blair Museum of Lithophanes.Photo by William / Walker, Jr.

became common, lithophanes became less common.Not too long after, the word lithophane disappearedfrom common usage.

During the 19th century, lithophanes were madein a factory setting by skilled, primarily anonymouscraftspeople. The process involved using precisionhand tools to model an ¡mage in wax on a backlit

glass panel. Thetools were similarto those used by adentist, though theycould have beenmade of metal, woodor ivory. Where thewax was thinnest,more light wouldshine through and,where it was thick-est, less light istransmitted. Thisskilful modelling iswhat allowed all ofthe subtle nuancesof an engraving tobe translated ulti-mately into thefinished porcelainlithophane. Thecarving of the waxmodel would havetaken several weeksand, dependingupon the size andcomplexity of thepiece, it could havetaken two months ormore.

The carved waxserved as the modeland was used tocreate a plastermould, which inturn was used tomould lithophanesin porcelain. Oneor two-piece plastermoulds were usedfor the pressing orslipcasting of porce-lain multiples. Untilaround 1890, all ofthe moulds usedwould have beenpress moulds, asslipcasting was notprevalent until thelast decade of19th century.

the

Ceramics: Art and Perception No. 87 2012 25

The porcelain recipe would have been guardedwith some secrecy in the factory, as the quality of thematerials in the formula would have determinedthe end quality of the product. A typical porcelainbody may have been 66 percent kaolin, 30 percentfelspar and 4 percent soapstone. The porcelainpaste was pressedinto the mouldand after the plas-ter had absorbedthe appropri-ate amount ofmoisture fromthe porcelain,the hardenedporcelains wereremoved fromthe moulds. Afterdrying, they werefired to about2300"F (approxi-mately 1300"C).At that temperature,a large percentage(perhaps up to 60 per-cent) of these fragileporcelains warped,slumped or cracked inthe kiln and were lost.Predictable shrink-age occurs from thetime the porcelain is formed in themould to after it is fired - between12-20 percent. Comparing anoriginal wax model with the fin-ished porcelain lithophane makesthis shrinkage easy to detect. Thefinished lithophane is about oneeighth of an inch thick.

Because the ceramic body ofchoice for lithophanes needed tvbe translucent porcelain or a Parianbody, often it was not until individ-ual factories invented, discoveredor introduced a suitable materialinto their repertoire that lithophaneswould be produced. The original1827 patent by Baron Paul (Charles-Amable) de Bourgoing (1791-1864),gives a good description of the process and canbe read in its entirety in the appendix to the bookLithophanes published in 2008 by Schiffer Publishing.

An alphabetical listing of countries that madelithophanes in the 19th century, are alleged tohave produced them or are currently manufac-turing them includes: Austria, Belgium, Bohemia/Czechoslovakia, Denmark, England, France,Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Norway,

Above left and right: Small Chinese Cup. Lit and unlit, inoiild-made Parian ware. ca. 1800. 2.5 x 2.25 in. Blair Museum ace. no.2010.6. Gift of Margaret Carney and Bill Walker. Courtesy ofthe

Blair Museum of Lithophanes. Photo by William / Walker, jr.Below: Front view of a four-sided lantern with threelithophane panels, including the Wilhelm Kaulbach

illustration for Goethe's Reinecke Fuch (Reynard tiie Fox).German, 19th century. PPM 367, Blair Museum ace. no. 1923,9.25 X 6.375 in. Courtesy ofthe Blair Museum of Lithophanes.

Photo by William J Walker, Jr.

Portugal, Russia, Sweden, the US and Wales. Well-known porcelain manufacturers who have createdlithophanes as one segment of their productioninclude Meissen in Dresden, KPM (KöniglichenPorzellan-Manufactur) in Berlin, Belleek in Irelandand Wedgwood in England. Only a few of the

countries that weremaking lithophanesin the 19th centuryhave continuedproducing them upto the present.

Not to be for-gotten as theoriginal inven-tor/discoverer ofthe secret of por-celain is China.It was 1000years later at theMeissen Factoryin Dresden that

the Europeans dis-covered the samesecret. The Chineseinspiration forlithophanes canbe seen in a smallmould-made Parianware cup producedin China circa 1800.

The dialogue between Chinaand Europe, especially relatingto exotic porcelain, was ongoingfor centuries and the Europeancreation of lithophane pan-els is still one more exampleof Asia influencing Europeanproduction.

Primarily a European art form,almost no lithophanes were cre-ated in the US in the 19th century.Beginning in the 1950s or 1960s,however, largely due to the public-ity and interest generated by LaurelBlair, founder of the Blair Museumof Lithophanes in Toledo, therebegan a slow and steady resurgencein the interest in this 'lost' art form

in the US and elsewhere. At least some of the cur-rent ceramics artists investigating lithophanes havebeen drawn to the medium because of the computertechnology that allows lithophane models or the por-celain lithophane itself to be carved utilising CNCmachines. Some artists incorporate a photo-mechanicalprocess in the creation of a lithophane. A photographhaving been successfully printed on a ceramic surfacewas recorded as early as 1854. Still others are drawn to

26 Ceramics: Art and Perception No. 87 2012

the original 19th century method of carving wax, cre-ating a plaster mould, then casting and firing por-celain lithophanes. Some contemporary ceramists,such as Curt Benzle, have used both the photoprocess and the carved wax method to success-fully create lithophanes since the 1970s. Other pio-neers in reinventingthe process includeAnn Arbor ceramistDavid Jefferson whobegan investigatingthe process in the1970s and was one ofthe first to experimentwith computer gen-erated (CAD-CAM)engraving in the1980s. David Failing,of Utica, New York,perfected his ownlithophane tech-niques in the mid-1980s, addingcoloured lithophanesto his repertoire inthe 1990s. There wereothers but these werethe true pioneers inthe 20th century.

TheBlair Museum'spermanent collection

includes more than 2,380 lithophanes and a feworiginal carved wax models and plaster moulds.The museum was founded as a private museum inthe early 1960s by Laurel Blair (1909-1993), a Toledorealtor and born collector. As he had amassed thelargest lithophane collection in the world, he wanted

to ensure that his col-lection would stayintact and remainin his hometown ofToledo. Prior to hisdeath he donatedthe collection tothe City of Toledo.In honour of whatwould have beenBlair's 100th birth-day, in 2009, the BlairMuseum inaugu-rated their programof annual specialexhibitions relatingto lithophanes, illu-minated ceramics.lnd related topics. Anewly formed sup-port group, theFriends of the BlairMuseum, Inc, pres-ently supportsnew acquisitions.

Above and below: Hannah Blackwetl. Above: Woman on Bike. 2009. Herend Porcelain. 11.25 x 9.875 in. Created at the InternationalCeramic Studio, Kecskemet, Hungary, inspired by Alphonse Mucha. Blair Museum ace. no. 2011.2. Museum Purchase.

Below: Cut'n Up. 2009. Herend Porcelain. 14.125 x 6.25 in. Created at the Internatiorml Ceramic Studio, Kecskemet, Hungary.Museum Purchase, Gregory A Knott Memorial Acquisition Fund.

Ceramics: Art and Perception No. 87 2012 27

the conservation of the collection and temporaryexhibitions.

In 2010, Professor George Timock, a faculty mem-ber of the Kansas City Art Institute, introduced theBlair Museum's curator to the lithophane creationsof Hannah Blackwell, then a BFA candidate at KCAIin Kansas City. This extraordinary artist had onlyseen evidence of this art form in 2007. She becameintrigued by the possibilifies and, after extensive stud-ies in Hungary in 2008 and 2009, at the InternationalCeramic Studio in Kecskemet, Blackwell has sincemastered the technique and the result is beaufifulcreafions that mesmerise the viewer.

Blackwell (b 1971), was basically given the (bad)advice in high school that "you can't make a livingbeing an arfist", followed by, "with a degree in artand a quarter, you can buy a cup of coffee." As aresult, she drove semis (lorries) for 11 years and manyyears later applied and was accepted as a student atthe Kansas City ArtInstitute. The fol-lowing are excerptsof conversationsbetween Blackwelland the author in thesummer of 2010:

Curator: Whatsparked your interestin art and becomingan artist?

Blackwell: Beingthe middle childof three siblings,attention was inshort supply froma single parent, sowhen I received posi-tive encouragementfor my drawing, Iwished and wantedmore. After a whileI found solace in myart and a constructive way to exercise my voice.

Curator: When did you first learn aboutlithophanes?

Blackwell: I stumbled across it in 2007. A fellowstudent (at KCAI) had come back from a trip toHungary. She had made a rudimentary lithophaneand I was struck by the possibilities. This lead meto researching translucent clay bodies on line. Thatis when I learned this was nothing new and that ithas a name.

Curator: What factors lead to your decision tostudy at the Kansas City Art Institute?

Blackwell: I had grown up in Kansas City andknew of the Kansas City Art Institute, having takenclasses there in high school. I was even acceptedthere in 1989. I believed the bad advice that I was

Hannah Blackwell. The New Bom (based on George De La Tour).2010. Porcelain. 9.75 x 11 in.

Blair Museum ace. no. 2010.2. Gift ofthe Artist.

given in high school, however, (about not being ableto make a living as an artist...) so I didn't believe Ihad a chance to follow my dreams. Many years later,with positive encouragement and a lot of love allaround me, I applied and was accepted as a studentat the Kansas City Art Institute.

Curator: Why did you decide to spend timeworking in Kecskemet, Hungary?

Blackwell: This is where the International CeramicStudio is located (with access to Herend porcelain,one of the most translucent clay bodies in the world).My first visit in 2008 was a month-long study abroadprogram available at KCAI. There I completed myfirst lithophane. I sculpted it in a one-quarter inch slabof slip, the highlights were all over. I felt like I did notunderstand how artisans in the past had generatedlithophanes. There were no books or any descrip-tions on the Internet as to how they made them. I feltlike this truly was a dead art. In November of 2008,

Margaret Carney'sbook Lithophaneswas published andgave me a good ideahow they mighthave accomplishedit in the past. In 2009I chose to return toICS for five months.

Curator: The19th century arti-sans working inEuropean porce-lain factories, wereinspired by popu-lar engravingsand copied themin their wax carv-ing models. Wheredo you find yourinspiration foryour lithophanes?

Blackwell: Allaround - nature, people, sitxiations; it is endless,being able to succeed at capturing a moment, afeeling. In the wax, it can be magical.

Curator: What materials do you use and/or rec-ommend for making lithophanes?

Blackwell: I use wax, which I cast to about a one-quarter inch thickness, a light box I custom made anddental tools. There are a lot of translucent clay bod-ies, though Laguna Frost is commercially available.

Curator: Why do you colour your beeswaxmodels?

Blackwell: Because as I carve I have a greater abil-ity to see the depth of the lithophane. Without it Ifound I was more prone to mistakes.

Curator: The Dragon Skin (silicone moulding com-pound) mould you use - what function does it have

28 Ceramics: Art and Perception No. 87 2012

since you already have the wax model and the plas-ter mould?

Blackwell: It serves as a permanent library of myimages - allowing me to recast or rework imagery at

time of the exhibition in Toledo, I had made sevendifferent lithophanes. I spend about 100 hours on thelarge ones.

Hannah Blackwell. Reclining Nude. 2010. Herend Porcelain, colorised. 13.25 x 8.2 in. Created at the International CeramicStudio, Kecskemet, Hungary. Collection of the Artist.

^

a later date, it not being as temperamental as the wax.Curator: Can you describe the process you use in

creating lithophanes?Blackwell: Having cast the wax on glass, I use a

light box to render the image. Upon completion, thework will go through a process of mould to casting,silicone to plaster, plaster to plaster, getting back toa positive image and ready to cast in porcelain. Aftercasting there will be a certain amount of clean up. Iwon't count any of them as certain until they comeout of the kiln. There are so many variables involvedin firing lithophanes - cracking, warping, iron spot-ting, you name it. It can and does go wrong. I havebeen averaging about 40 percent success. I have nodesire to make 100 of each image. I want each oneto be unique. With the four that make it out intact, Iwill glaze, china paint, lustre and experiment. At the

Margaret Carney is a ceramics historian who has been paid for dec-ades to do what she loves the most - research, write, teach, curateand explore the world of ceramics. She holds a PhD in Asian ArtHistory and was the founding director of the Museum of CeramicArt at the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University,US. She taught ceramics world history at Alfred for 12 years andlater taught at the Ohio State University'. She has curated 40 exhi-bitions, presented 85 public lectures and authored 67 books, cata-logues and journal articles. She is a Fellow of the American CeramicSociety and an elected member of the International Academy ofCeramics in Switzerland. Grants received include Senior Fellow atthe Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American Artand the Renwick Gallery, as well as Tile Heritage Foundation andthe Cumming Ceramic Research Foundation. She presently is thedirector and curator of the Blair Museum of Lithophanes.Hannah Blackwell is a graduate student at Indiana University,Bloomington, US.Hannah Blackwell's first solo exhibition at the Blair Museum ofLithophanes, Hands Illuminating Porcelain: The Lithophanes of Han-nah Blachi'ell, was on view 30 April - 30 October, 20n. {wrww.lithophanemuseum.org)

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