Amazing color majolica

Dennis Yashugin Modern ceramic tile is quite different from that sold to 5-10 years ago. Types and variants of such products has become so much a potential buyer coming into the store building, just lost. Among all tiled splendor stands enamelled tiles - majolica, or kottoforte, which is the most durable ceramic tile. Majolica in Italian Annealing tile and use it for wall and floor tiles began over 5000 years ago in ancient Egypt and Babylon. Originally trading with Egypt, Moorish Spain borrowed technology for the production of tiles and she began to sell it to other states of Europe, particularly Italy. In the XI century Florentine master of Lucca della Robia and his successors began to cover their products with milk-white opaque glaze, named - majolica. This word comes from the Balearic island of Majorca or Mallorca, where they had been sent the first batch. Glaze contains tin oxide, tint it blue with cobalt in green - copper, a violet - manganese. All products are masters burned twice: before glazing over low heat and then cover them with glaze - on strong. Tuscan potters, having learned the secret of tin glaze, put the production on stream, ushering in the new Europe for the pottery industry: manufacturing of glazed earthenware. Its name - faience - items received after the Italian city of Faenza. But Faenza predominated long. In the middle of the XVI century, put forward new Italian centers for the production of majolica: Urbino, Gubbio, Pesaro. At the end of XVII-XVIII centuries, the first half of majolica production occurs in southern Italy, in the small town of Kingdom of Naples - Castelli. Not surprisingly, the pottery of Italian masters gained the greatest popularity in the world. Majolica in Dutch Nature herself ordered the Dutch to be not only sailors and gardeners, but potters: take malleable clay just beyond the threshold of the house, kneading, form ... to the XV century, this craft was considered hereditary in Dutch cities. But the most extensive worldwide fame gained famed beauty of channels, as reflected in the mirror of their ancient homes of the city of Delft. The city also work a lot of potters. But the local clay was too oily. Therefore, initially made up much of the utensils for the kitchen, artless, heavy, thorough - pots, jugs of milk and cream, beer mugs ... But it was not long, until when the XVI century in Delft and other Italian masters came and began to produce ceramic tile. As soon as it began to flourish, they took Dutch names, and founded a school of this amazing craft. Therefore, Delft deservedly called the "Dutch Faenza, under the name of the very Italian city that gave the world the word" faience "! The famous "Delft Blue" was made in the form of tiles for walls and tiled stoves, as well as dining and decorative pottery. The golden age was in the XVIII century - in the Netherlands to work, at least about 30 plants! Some factories that have arisen at the time, continue to produce tiles and to this day, and deservedly so are among the oldest not only in Holland but throughout the world. Dutch tiles, got off the interiors in many countries, it was bought in the Netherlands in huge quantities, it tried to copy. Including in the Russian Empire. Majolica in Russian in the very beginning of the XVIII century, the first governor of Saint Petersburg, Prince Menshikov built in Strelna factory modeled on the Dutch plant, where Russian masters began to make tile better than overseas. Like any work of real art, Russian tiles accurately expressed the aesthetic and philosophical views of his time. His ornate multicolored they showed the wealth and, thus, about the power - first princes and then kings of the first Moscow young Russian state. Hence the generous embellishment tiled facades of numerous temples and palaces until the end of the XVII century. Not for nothing that this palace is decorated with tiles of the same Menshikov in the northern capital. In the palace there is a unique room, where tiles are laid out not only the furnace, but the walls and even the ceiling! At the finish of the premises took almost 30,000 tiles. Such interior nowhere else. High peak reached architectural majolica Yaroslavl and Moscow. Here were produced in large quantities for window frames, portals, friezes, tiles for tile stoves. With the onset of rapid XVIII century, when Russia entered the international arena and demonstrate the power of the Russian state had in the first place, the power of the army, navy and trade development, tiles were "moved" to the streets in the inner rooms and private residences in the refectory of the church. Now they testified about the welfare and prosperity of the owner of the house church. In the XVIII century majolica ware, tiles, small plastic with black and white painting on white background produced Grebenshchikova plant in Moscow, with polychrome - Workshops Gzheli. In decorative majolica at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries Russian artists worked such as M. Vrubel, V. Vasnetsov, A. Golovin, SV Malyutin and others. Was no exception and XX century. In the 1930's worked with majolica Soviet sculptors IG Frih-Har, I. Yefimov. From 1950 to majolica appeal not only Soviet but also foreign artists, potters, including F. Leger and Picasso. Birth Majolica: precise and accurate technology manufacturing of majolica tiles requires high production, precision and accuracy in work. Tiles used for the manufacture of red clay, which was subsequently covered with enamel and glaze. Before the second firing, the enamel is applied over a white decorative pattern. The layout of future forms are made of soft material, on which later made plaster mold. After this, ready-made form hand laid with the stock clay mass, the completed forms for a few days left for natural drying. Ready-made and fitted to each other specimens are covered with a thin layer of white clay. To give the product the characteristic red-brown color and an enviable strength, they are sent to the initial firing. Roasting is performed in special furnaces to heat distribution, so that shrinkage of tiles is uniform. Finally, artists can hand (!) Cause the picture. But it's not as easy as it seems at first glance: the repeated firing of paints used can change their color is wrong inflicted figure is almost impossible to fix. The painted samples are sent to re-firing, which takes place under the careful supervision of masters, looking for constant parameters of firing. Sometimes ready-made samples were additionally glazes special paints. Today, multi-colored tiles are experiencing the rebirth. Dozens of companies in Russia offer a veneer of stoves and fireplaces with tiles, many specialize exclusively on tile kilns. This is no accident. Man always tends to the elegant, artistic, beautiful. One way to satisfy this desire - color, warm, vibrant tile.