DISH

© The Artist

DISH 1996

John Dunn (1944 – )

Details

Dimension
56 CM DIAMETER
Media
RAKU FIRED
Accession number
P6629

Summary

The artist used a highly refractory clay with low shrinkage which fires white. The dish is made by coiling to give concentric strength which withstands the thermal shock from raku firing. This is a special firing technique originally used for the making of ceramics for the Japanese tea ceremony. The glaze is transparent with good refractive qualities. The dish was withdrawn from the kiln at 1000ºC and sprayed with a chemical to enhance the colour; it was then immersed in open-grained sawdust to ‘smoke’. The whole firing cycle from placing in the pre-heated kiln to finally removing from the sawdust is 45 minutes.

Glossary

  • Ceramics

    Clay based products produced from non-metallic material and fired at high temperature. The term covers all objects made of fired clay, including earthenware, porcelain, stoneware and terra cotta.

  • Coiling

    A method of building up pots by hand using ropes of clay.

  • Glaze

    Vitreous coatings applied to pottery to make objects watertight and as a form of decoration. Also a glaze can be a thin, translucent or transparent coating applied to the surface of a painting to modify the colour tones. Glazes may also be applied on top of one another as a means of creating a sense of depth and translucency.

  • Raku

    A low fired, soft lead and borax glazed ware, originally made for the Japanese tea ceremony. It incorporates a special firing technique.