manganese

Ingredients

manganese, grease, wax

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

The manganese is mixed with a greasy substance (like wax) to create a resist line. This mixture is applied to the tile surface to create the design outline. Once the design is established, various colored glazes are painted into the cells created by the resist. During the firing process, the manganese mixture prevents the colors from mixing and results in a permanent black outline (p. 36).

Evidence

"In this technique, manganese is mixed in with any kind of grease such as wax, then the design is applied on the tile or ceramic object using this mixture. Following this, various glaze colours are painted in between the lines of the design. After firing, each colour of glaze will remain in place and the manganese mixture will outline the pattern in black."

Remarks

Heather Ecker (2004) notes this was first used in early 11th-century Andalusia. It was developed as a cheaper, less labor-intensive alternative to tile mosaics and was suitable for curved surfaces (p. 36).