reduction lustre

Ingredients

silver, copper, clay, ochre, acid

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

The process begins with the discovery that lustre is a mixture of copper and silver used as a substitute for gold (p. 166). The reduced pigment lustre is created by mixing silver and copper with clay or ochre and an acid (p. 166). This mixture is applied to an already tin-glazed and fired object. The object is then refired at a temperature high enough to soften the glaze, allowing the pigment to integrate into the glaze layer. Finally, the piece is fired in a reduced atmosphere to break down the metallic elements, creating a metallic sheen (p. 166).

Evidence

"This reduced pigment lustre is produced by creating a mixture of silver and copper along with clay or ochre and an acid. The mixture is then applied to an object that has been tin-glazed and fired. After this, the ceramic object is fired to a temperature that softens the glaze in order to adjust the pigment in the glaze layer. The piece is then fired in a reduced atmosphere to break the metallic elements down, resulting in a very thin layer of metallic sheen over the object’s surface"

Remarks

The text traces the invention of lustre to glassware in Syria or Egypt (6th/7th century) before its application to ceramics in 9th-century Abbasid Iraq (p. 165). It notes that Málaga was the primary port for Nasrid lustreware, evidenced by objects signed with the Arabic name 'Malaga' and made from local deep red clay confirmed by geology (p. 166). The Fortuny panel is noted for its challenging technical requirement of multiple firings to apply complex lustre iridescence in red, violet, and blue (p. 167-168).