Lithophane
A lithophane is a thin plaque of translucent material, normally porcelain, which has been moulded to varying thickness, such that when lit from behind the different thicknesses show as different shades, forming an image. Only when lit from behind does the image display properly.[2] They were invented in the 19th century and became very popular, typically for lampshades, nightlights, or to be hung on windows. They could also be given stands, to be placed in front of a light source.[3] The longest side of a lithophane is typically between 6 and 10 in (15 and 25 cm).
The images tended to be artistically unadventurous, mostly repeating designs from prints, or paintings via reproductive prints. A large number were rather sentimental domestic genre scenes, though there were also portraits, landscapes and religious subjects.
Invented in France in the 1820s, they rapidly became popular and produced in various countries. But Germany soon became the main producer, remaining so for the rest of the century. The largest producer was the
Their peak of production was perhaps from about 1840 to 1870.[5] By the end of the 19th century lithophanes had largely fallen from fashion, but in recent decades they have had something of a revival, using in addition to porcelain, glass, plastic, and with 3D printing sometimes paper.[7]
Technique
To make a porcelain lithophane, a wax plaque was placed on a glass backing and carved, so that by lighting from behind the developing image could be seen in a similar fashion to the final lithophane. A cast of the wax was then taken in
As the porcelain is in places only about 1⁄8 in (3.2 mm) thick, wastage in firing was high, up to about 60%.[5]
History
There were precedents in
The European technique was invented by the French diplomat Baron
Other factories quickly adopted the technique, many under licence from de Bourgoing. Meissen porcelain made them from 1829, and had made tens of thousands by 1850.[12] Apart from Berlin and Plaue, mentioned above and perhaps the largest manufacturers, they were also made by Volkstedt, St Petersburg and Royal Copenhagen.[13]
There was an English patent, under licence from Bourgoing, granted in 1828, to a Robert Griffith Jones, who then gave sub-licences to English factories including
By the end of the century the fashion was largely over, but lithophanes were made to commemorate the
Modern lithophanes
Porcelain lithophanes are still made in limited numbers, by both studio potters and large manufacturers such as Bernardaud and Wedgwood.[15]
Similar effects can be achieved in moulded coloured glass, but these should probably not be called lithophanes. The term has revived in use for images created by digitally-controlled cutting ("CNC"), a subtractive process, or by 3D printing, an additive one. Many companies now offer to make one-off images, or the equipment to make them. Solutions are offered to add colour to these.[16][17][18]
Collections
Most museums with a collection of 19th-century porcelain have examples of lithophanes, though only a small number are likely to be on display. The largest collection belongs to the Blair Museum of Lithophanes, now at the Schedel Arboretum and Gardens in Elmore, Ohio.[7][19]
Gallery
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German, withcast-ironstand
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German, set in metal lampshade
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Teapot warmer, or nightlight
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Madonna and Child after Murillo, with suspension chain
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German scene with painted colour
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20th-century Japanese cups, with lithophane faces of geishas
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Modern porcelain lithophane on stand
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3D printed Wikipedia logo
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Modern porcelain lampshade, lit from inside
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The same porcelain lampshade, in ambient light
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CNC machine cutting lithophane of a cat
Notes
- ^ Frederick the Great after the Battle of Kolín by Julius Schrader, now in Munich, see Battle of Kolín
- ^ "How Lithophanes Are Made", Blair Museum of Lithophanes; Library of Universal Knowledge, Volume 9, p. 96, 1880; Milburn, Sandra J. (25 May 2022). "Do you know what a lithophane is? Find out at a workshop at the Hutchinson library". The Hutchinson News. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
- ^ Savage & Newman, 180–181; Carney; Types of use, Blair Museum of Lithophanes
- ^ Battie, 160; Savage & Newman, 180–181; Carney
- ^ a b c d e Carney
- ^ Savage & Newman, 180; Hampshire
- ^ a b c d e Hampshire
- ^ Savage & Newman, 180–181
- ^ Carney; "How Lithophanes Are Made", Blair Museum
- ^ "Chinese Porcelain Glossary: An hua". Retrieved 3 April 2015.
- ^ Savage & Newman, 180–181; Hampshire
- ^ Battie, 159–160
- ^ Battie, 160
- ^ Savage & Newman, 181
- ^ Bernardaud website; Ceramics Monthly, "A new path with Lithophanes"; Ceramic Historian; Lithophane Museum blog
- S2CID 240584496.
- ^ Tim (April 12, 2022). "Perfectly 3D Print All Types of Lithophanes and Add Colour". Core Electronics. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
- ^ "101".
- ^ "Blair Museum History". Schedel Arboretum and Gardens.
References
- ISBN 1850292515
- Carney, Margaret, "Lithophanes and Asia: Translucent Translations", Ceramics Monthly, Oct 2007, Vol. 55, Issue 8
- "Hampshire", " A Short History of Lithophanes", Hampshire Cultural Trust
- Savage, George, and Newman, Harold, An Illustrated Dictionary of Ceramics, 1985, Thames & Hudson, ISBN 0500273804
Further reading
- Carney, Margaret (2008), Lithophane, Schiffer Publishing, ISBN 9780764330193
- Harold Newman, "Lithophane Plaques", Antique Dealer and Collectors Guide, August 1990, Statuscourt