A little about ceramics
Stoneware is also known as high temperature ceramics. Along with faience, majolica, semi-porcelain and porcelain, such ceramics belong to the category of fine, while unglazed and pottery ceramics are commonly called coarse. The raw materials for its production are stone masses based on fireclay, quartz, kaolin and feldspar. They look like opaque refractory tightly baked shards of a light brown or gray hue. The firing temperature of products using this technology reaches 1100-1400°C. The finished shard turns out to be low-porous and fine-grained, with a water absorption index of less than 3%. Fine grain allows you to create products with fine relief and fine details. And moisture absorption, in turn, shows that the product, fired even without glaze, can be used in contact with food.
In China, this technology was mastered approximately in 1400 BC - for comparison, porcelain was invented no earlier than the 7th century AD. Stoneware reached Europe by the 16th century. Decorative artists create works of art by painting stoneware with matte or clear crystalline glazes and by sculpting them into fine relief. With the help of high-temperature glazes, extremely original shades and textures can be achieved. However, the possibilities for decorating this type of ceramics are not as wide as those of faience, for which low-temperature glazes are used.
