The Porcelain Garden, located in Irvine, CA, was created in 1982 by artists, Marty Kubicki and Liesa Smith. Today along with a talented staff, The Porcelain Garden has grown into a business that produces some of the finest & most intricately detailed Lithophanes.
Generally credited as being the invention of Baron Paul de Bourguignon, of Rubelles, France, in 1827, the earliest forms of lithophanes were actually produced in China many years before other countries produced them. Chinese potters employed the process to trace floral designs in the delicate walls of eggshell thin porcelain vases. It was the efforts of the Baron de Bourguignon that led to the great popularity of lithophanes during the mid-19th century. His concept was simply this: a sheet of porcelain carved in varying degrees of thickness, when held to a light, would result in a highly detailed picture with the soft image quality of a mezzotint.
The artists at The Porcelain Garden are dedicated to preserving and furthering this extraordinary art form. All of their lithophanes are produced in their studios, using many of the same methods developed by the original artists many generations ago. Of course, some things have changed; they use electric kilns for more consistent heating, and they use electric mixers to blend their porcelain formula. But the entire process of individually casting, finishing, drying, firing, and inspecting each piece, used for centuries before, is still being used.
Generally credited as being the invention of Baron Paul de Bourguignon, of Rubelles, France, in 1827, the earliest forms of lithophanes were actually produced in China many years before other countries produced them. Chinese potters employed the process to trace floral designs in the delicate walls of eggshell thin porcelain vases. It was the efforts of the Baron de Bourguignon that led to the great popularity of lithophanes during the mid-19th century. His concept was simply this: a sheet of porcelain carved in varying degrees of thickness, when held to a light, would result in a highly detailed picture with the soft image quality of a mezzotint.
The artists at The Porcelain Garden are dedicated to preserving and furthering this extraordinary art form. All of their lithophanes are produced in their studios, using many of the same methods developed by the original artists many generations ago. Of course, some things have changed; they use electric kilns for more consistent heating, and they use electric mixers to blend their porcelain formula. But the entire process of individually casting, finishing, drying, firing, and inspecting each piece, used for centuries before, is still being used.
The fine detail is remarkable. Be sure to come in and check them out!
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