The Industrial Arts in SpainRiaño, Juan F. (Juan Facundo)
History
The Industrial Arts in Spain
Riaño, Juan F. (Juan Facundo)
Decorative arts -- Spain -- History; Pottery -- Spain -- History
The next time I find lustred pottery mentioned is in the 15th century.
Eximenus, in his "Regiment de la cosa publica," Valencia, 1499, in
speaking of the excellent things made in the kingdom of Valencia, says:
"The twenty-seventh excellent thing is that some artificial objects are
made there which bring great renown to the country, for they are
excellent and beautiful, and are now to be found in other localities ...
but above all is the beauty of the gold pottery so splendidly painted at
Manises, which enamours everyone so much, that the Pope, and the
cardinals, and the princes of the world obtain it by special favour,
and are astonished that such excellent and noble works can be made of
earth."
Lustred pottery had already attained great importance in Aragon early in
the 16th century. We find in a deed granted at Calatayud in 1507, that
"Muhamed ben Suleyman Attaalab, an inhabitant of the suburb of the Moors
at Calatayud, and an artificer of lustred golden earthenware, engaged
himself with Abdallah Alfoquey of the same locality, to teach him the
said industry, in the space of four years and a half, from the date of
the deed." ("Estado social de los mudejares de Castilla, by Fernandez y
Gonzalez," Madrid 1866, p. 437.) At Muel, a village in the province of
Aragon near Zaragoza, this industry existed to a great extent in 1585.
In the travels of Henrique Cock ("Relacion del viage hecho por Felipe
II. en 1585," por Henrique Cock, publicado por Morel Fatio y Rodriguez
Villa, Madrid, 1876,) we find the following interesting details of the
manner in which this pottery was made, p. 30:--
"Almost all the inhabitants of this village are potters, and all the
earthenware sold at Zaragoza is manufactured in the following manner.
First the vessels are fashioned of a certain ingredient the earth
furnishes them in that locality, in the shape they may require. Once
made, they bake them in an oven fitted for the purpose. They then remove
them to varnish with white varnish and polish them, and afterwards make
a wash of certain materials in the following manner: twenty-five pounds,
_one arroba_, of lead, with which they mix three or four pounds of tin,
and as many pounds of a certain sand which is to be found there. All
these ingredients are mixed into a paste like ice; it is broken into
small pieces and pounded like flour, and kept by them in powder. This
powder is mixed with water, the dishes are passed through it, and they
are rebaked in the oven, and keep their lustre. Afterwards, in order
that the pottery may be gilt, they take very strong vinegar, mixed with
about two reales (a small coin equivalent to 6_d._) of silver in powder,
vermilion, and red ochre, and a little wire. When all is mixed
together, they paint with a feather on the dishes any decoration they
may like, rebake them, and then they remain gold-coloured for ever. This
was told me by the potters themselves."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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