Product details:
These distinctive yarn bowls have been painstakingly researched and constructed by Gordon Broadhurst and Fiona Mazza of Good Friends Ceramics.They are true works of art and with the weight of porcelain the bowls are stable and very functional. These bowls are the pinnacle of yarn bowl perfection. Click HERE to listen to Fiona talking about the bowls and how to ink the crackle glaze
Both Fiona and Gordon are ceramicists having first met at Harrogate College in 1998. Having been work colleagues within further education for a number of years they have since become good friends, sharing their passion for making ceramics.
Imperial blue, Kuan-style yarn bowls.
As blue as the sky
When seen through
Rifts of clouds
After a rain.
The above translation from Chinese describes the appearance of the glaze used in making these blue yarn bowls
This particular glaze is based on recipes and practices originating in China during the Sung Dynasty from between 1000-1200 a.d.
This pale blue crackled glaze is known as a Kuan- style glaze and belongs to the family of Celadon glazes, it is traditionally used on porcelain.
This special glaze was only used by the Emperor of China and the Imperial Court and was said to simulate the restrained beauty and understated characteristics of Jade. The unique appearance of this unctuous, semi-opaque, satin textured glaze with its distinctive bold crackled pattern is stained to emphasise the form.
Here is an interesting story about this crackled glaze. There were two brothers, each ran their own pottery and kiln. The elder brother ran a very successful pottery business and his younger brother did not and was jealous. On one occasion when his brother was away from the kiln site, the younger brother had an idea. He decided to sabotage his older brother's firing by pouring a bowl of cold water into the kiln as it
was being fired.
After the firing and when the kiln had cooled, the elder brother opened the kiln to find that the glaze surface was covered in cracks. At first, the elder brother was very upset and thought that all the porcelain objects were ruined. He was surprised to find that porcelain with natural crackled patterned glazes became popular and his kiln became more famous. This is the legend of the Ge Kiln, but in fact, the crackled glaze patterns are caused by the different expansion rates between the porcelain clay and glaze.
The glaze will continue to crackle as the bowl ages. The cracks are inked by Fiona and Gordon once they start to appear after firing. The new cracks can continue to be inked as they appear over the years. Please click here Ink Your Yarn Bowl to see how to look after the crackle glaze as it ages.
Dimensions
Weight: 2.6kg. Height 17cm including lid. Diameter 23cm
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