History of the Cold Porcelain (biscuit)
Since the early times, man has always used the clay, the terracotta and stone to make their tools for hunting and food preparation. The history of porcelain began in China around the beginning of the century III AD. It was a mass of rock composed mainly of silicates such as potassium, sodium and calcium clay and pure white. Characterized by its whiteness, hardness and a translucent appearance. |  |
This precious material came to Japan through Korea, around the centuryXVI, which was also an important production and development. For a longtime, Europe has to imitate the oriental porcelain.
At the beginning of the century XVIII, in the German town of Meissen, an alchemist found in excavations of a grave, a kind of white clay withhigh content of kaolin. Started to manufacture small parts with this clay and obtained results very similar to Chinese porcelain.
Around mid-century XVIII, in France, created a typically French production of porcelain with a velvety luster and an ability to receiverich polychromatic decorations and flowers and birds.
The history of the biscuit comes around this time, where the artisans were always looking for material that they could mix a little claywhite lowering its cost, quality, beauty and durability as the thin porcelain, also known as "earthenware" ( enamelled crockery or glass).
In Italy, a traditional mass known as pasta di sale, a mixture of flour,water and salt are a tradition in that part of the European continent. With this mass, the Italians were small and delicate carvings, depicting the day-to-day of the season, we know today as "bibel" or "rococo."Although their craft look durability, the pieces, just the porosity of the mass and the deterioration trend to be organic, not arrived last many years. |  |
But it was the insistence on finding a body is ideal for working objects, without concern that they would break the following day, the craft continued to search for materials that could be mixed with pasta, such as glue, for example, to give strength and durability and canal so receive certain types of paint and shiny or matte finishes. Craftsmen from Europe and Latin America came to the malleability of the mass of the biscuit, also known as "cold porcelain", since it is not necessary burn it in special kilns at high temperatures, as the traditional porcelain.
In the United States are the dolls of famous "salt Dough," an ancient tradition. They work fine, but keep the fragility of the elements that are composed, ie, the Craftsman is limited to low and occurred strength of the parts.
Despite the European inspiration, the art of Cold Porcelain won fans and great development especially in Latin America (with emphasis onBrazil and Argentina). In European countries, only in England we have reports ofgroups of artists who engage in this technique. They have traditional annual meetings for discussions, exhibitions and awards.
On the Americas, the Cold Porcelain came throughArgentina,where there is a large number of followers and artists who are dedicated to it in all its various aspects. Argentina has expanded their techniques to Chile, Peru and Bolivia.
The Cold Porcelain came to Brazil in the 80s and also became known as Biscuit, a French-language term that means white porcelain.
