Crystalline glazes
by Hassan Javed
As many as 60 pieces of crystalline glaze were displayed at the exhibition of ceramics by Salman Ikram at Ejaz Galleries in Lahore on Tuesday. A large number of people visited the gallery to see the unique works of art. The exhibition will continue till June 1.
While talking to The Nation Plus Salman said "a crystalline glaze is characterised by clusters of various shapes and colours. This unpredictable process requires an intricate long cooling schedule that is necessary for the development of crystals. It is impossible to repeat something again. Each piece is unique. Contrary to some perceptions, we do not put crystals in the glaze. The crystals actually form in the glaze in a chemical reaction during cooling and grow from small nuclei created during the melting process when silica and zinc come together to form zinc-silicate.
"I fire the crystal glazed ware to approximately 1,200 degrees centigrade and then hold the temperature in the kiln on cooling between 1120 degree and 950 degree centigrade for approximately 3 to 5 hours depending on the glaze. The longer the glaze is held at a certain temperature, the larger the crystals get until the maximum size for that particular glaze is attained.
Each glaze composition, together with the firing schedule and glaze thickness, makes different forms and colours of crystals. I use cobalt oxide, nickel oxide, iron oxide, copper oxide, and manganese dioxide for different coloured crystals," he explained.
He said "to me, crystals seem like beautiful paintings on the surface of the pots which have undergone a trial by fire several times. They have that potential for no trace-something can come out of the kiln that looks like it's been growing for a thousand years in the woods. They're organic. And they're widely varied. I find the Spontaneously-formed crystal patterns in the glazes to be a never ending source of delight." 'I sketch the designs on the paper then convert them into
crystalline glazes. My designs are unique as no one in the country is making such modernised and difficult shapes in this art." Salman added.
While revealing the history of ceramics Salman said "crystal glazes are a relatively new phenomenon. This glaze was discovered by accident at Sevres in France in about 1850. But this spectacular and beautiful glaze fascinated potters and collectors alike. It became very popular from 1890 to 1915, during the Art Nouveau period. About 1915 two things happened. The Art Nouveau movement ended and the production of ceramics became industrialised but crystalline glaze does not lend itself to mechanised production. Very little crystalline glazes have been produced since then."
Even today most potters consider crystalline glazes to be the most difficult and challenging of all glazes to produce.
Nation Plus, May 27, 2004
