Faience is what? What is the difference between porcelain and faience?

Mankind has used faience to make plates and cups from ancient times. And in the modern world, ceramic dishes are almost indispensable. Although the style of products, the technology of their production is constantly changing, but the material itself remains unchanged. What is faience, and what features does it have? Let's try to understand this article.

What is faience

Faience is the material from which utensils, interior items, architectural elements are made , etc. It is characterized by fragility, density and fine porosity. The name of this material is similar to the Italian city of Faenza, which was famous for the production of ceramic products.

Faience is mainly used for the production of dishes, souvenirs and various ceramic gifts. Figurines of this type differ from porcelain luminosity and color saturation and look very fabulously. As for tableware, utensils made of faience are often made in a simple form and look ordinary. It is ideal for daily meals with a simple table setting.

Types of faience

Depending on the composition and amount of impurities, there are several types of faience:

1. Lime faience - except for quartz and white clay, chalk and dolomite are included. Thanks to these additives, the products are made much easier and faster.
2. Soft faience - to the traditional composition are added various fins - substances that, during thermal processing, form fusible joints.
3. Feldspar faience - it contains a certain amount of feldspars (rock-forming minerals).
4. Solid faience is the most durable material. Such products are characterized by high mechanical characteristics. Burn solid faience passes at a very high temperature.

History of earthenware

Mankind knew what is faience, another 4 thousand years BC. E. The composition of the first ceramics differed slightly from those produced today. In Mesopotamia and Egypt, earthenware was made of quartz pebbles with impurities of soda, limestone, copper and iron ore.

Much later, the faience appeared in the Old World. At first it was released under the name of majolica in some Italian cities. Then high-quality earthenware was produced in France, in the city of Saint-Porsche.

In Russia faience became known in the XVIII century. In Moscow, there were entire factories producing ceramic products. Earthenware was widely dispersed among the population and enjoyed incredible popularity. The products of different factories differed. So, the masters of the Grebenshchikov manufactory painted the dishes on raw enamel. The faience of the Kuznetsov Association was distinguished by multi-colored glaze coatings, volumetric reliefs or printed drawings. Gzhel's factory produced mostly blue products, as well as gold paintings.

Konakovo faience

A great development in the manufacture of earthenware was made by M. S. Kuznetsov, who bought in 1870 a porcelain factory in Konakovo. He produced mostly earthenware with hand-painted or printed drawings. After about 20 years, Kuznetsov began to produce dishes from semi-faience, porcelain and ceramics. Since the mid-20-ies. XX century factory began to attract the best artists and masters of painting to create beautiful drawings on dishes and the creation of animalistic sculptures. Their products were in demand, which, in turn, contributed to the expansion of production.

Over time, artists have managed to create a certain style of their products: organic in form faience objects played a cheerful bright painting and glaze. Konakovo faience was exported to many countries. Some products are safely preserved to this day.

Semikarakorskaya ceramics

Semikarakorsky faience - a bright artistic phenomenon of the Don land. The Rostov region was engaged in the manufacture of ceramics since ancient times. Many archaeological finds indicate the existence of artisanal pottery workshops in Semikarakorsk since the pre-Christian times.

The artistic style of the seven-karakorsky faience is distinguished by original painting, bouquet-floral ornaments, natural themes, historical motifs. Masters in their drawings were able to convey all the beauty and power of their land, the Don traditions, the spirit of the Cossacks.

Thanks to the high level of artistic skill, Seven-Karakor faience is considered to be works of art all over the world.

Types of earthenware

Nowadays, faience is used almost everywhere. This is due not only to its cheapness, but also to the ease of manufacturing such products. The most frequently produced dishes: salad bowls, plates for appetizers and for second courses, deep bowls, herrings, bread stands and confectionery products, saucers, soup bowls and soup tureen, cups for hot drinks, milk jugs, mugs, saltcellars and sugar bowls. Often in our days in shops you can see a wide range of architectural elements from faience, facing tiles, toilets. Such interior items testify not only to the good taste of the owner, but also to his financial well-being.

How to make faience ware

To create faience, two components are necessarily used: quartz and refractory white clay. The process of manufacturing a ceramic product begins with the processing of the latter. Thus, several times the clay is burned at a temperature of 1050 ° C, during this time it must change color. Then, at a temperature of 950 ° C, a colored or transparent glaze is applied. At the final stage, the firing is repeated. As a result of this impact, the faience remains porous and fit for decoration. If the faience is burned at low temperatures, it will be better to keep intensive underglaze paints.

Thus, the material passes through many stages of processing, until ready-made faience is obtained. The photo of the process of making a plate illustrates the subtlety of this process.

Earthenware

Recently, sanitaryware from faience has become increasingly popular. Its production takes place according to a different technology than making dishes or figurines. To create high strength of the material, the products are covered with a special glaze. With proper and careful use of faience plumbing can last a long time, while it will look the same as at the time of purchase.

How to distinguish faience from porcelain

Many do not know what distinguishes porcelain from faience, and are often confused, although there is a difference between them. Earthenware is characterized by a low degree of whiteness, greater wall thickness and less strength. Finished objects are characterized by smooth shapes. Earthenware in comparison with porcelain is unable to retain heat for a long time. In addition, such products do not withstand high temperatures. If the dishes are washed in hot water, it may crack. Therefore, in many cases it is more practical to use tableware from porcelain.

To understand well, what distinguishes porcelain from faience, you can compare products from these materials. The first and important difference is the sonority of the subject. It is easy to knock on the edge of the plate. Porcelain product will give a long and distinct hum. At the same time, faience will sound like a dull sound.

Also, it is possible to determine the faience by its external features. The dishes from this ceramics do not let light in at all. This is because the products are fired at a relatively low temperature. A significant difference is the smooth bottom surface of the dishes. Sometimes you can see the small depressions that formed when firing. For comparison, the bottom of porcelain is always rough.

Owners of earthenware should be more careful to treat it and monitor its condition. When cracks appear, it is undesirable to use such products, since pathogenic bacteria penetrate into the pores of faience and can provoke the development of various diseases.

How to care for earthenware

Like any utensils, earthenware requires some care. Given all the properties of this material, it is very important to adhere to the rules of operation in order to prolong the life of the faience.

The most important rule - to wash products from faience can only in warm water, and rinse in cold. In the case of hot water, small cracks are formed on the dishes, and the structure of the material is disturbed.

Detergents, especially powders, it is better not to use. To brighten the darkened faience ware, you can use a solution of drinking soda or salt with vinegar in a ratio of 1: 1. Especially neatly, you should look after the products with gilding. The fact is that the pictures, which adorn the faience ware, are covered with glaze. Therefore, after repeated washing, they remain intact. As for the gilding - it is applied over the glaze and is gradually erased from regular use. Therefore, places decorated with gold paint, you can not rub hard, it is better to use a soft cloth or sponge. Remove stains from faience products can be with a cloth soaked in a small amount of ammonia.

Despite the advantages of porcelain, people still buy faience. This encourages ceramic manufacturers to manufacture new products for a wide variety of purposes.