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Perhaps one of the most unusual and interesting art forms to emerge from the early 19th century is the lithophane. 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. There is little historical evidence indicating the exact origins of this technique in China, but it is certain that the knowledge predates the subsequent discovery by the Europeans. However, it was the Europeans that evolved the concept from simple floral pictures into complex, intricately detailed scenes. A wide variety of images appeared on lithophanes. The subject matter included quaint and delightful replicas of rural scenes and children at play, reproductions of famous portraits and popular paintings, dramatic religious scenes, hunting images, and scenic panoramas.
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. This simple concept however, was not easy to execute. Sheer artistry of high order was required to make a master carving from which the lithophanes could be molded.
The very first lithophanes were individually carved entirely by hand. But shortly after their introduction, the artists reasoned that molds could be made, from which numerous pieces could be cast. To produce these molds, a sheet of wax was placed on a piece of plate glass. This provided sufficient transparency for the artist's guidance. The full thickness of the wax on the glass stopped all light, and any scratch or gouge produced varying degrees of gray. Therefore, the entire range of shading from dark to bright was available for the skilled artisan to bring to life.
The artist first drew his general design on the surface of the white wax. Then, with modeling knives, burnishers, and other tools, he sculpted the minute details of the subject chosen for reproduction. From the wax carving, when finally approved by the master model maker, a plaster cast was made. This was the original die, which was used in molding the porcelain bisque. A moist porcelain paste was then skillfully pressed into this cast, picking up all the details in the carving. Close examination of this mold would reveal intricate surface detail. During the porcelain casting process, the friction of the clay would swiftly wear these fine details out. Sometimes, as few as 20 castings would leave the image in the mold worn out. To address this problem, the artists developed master molds. Master molds were made out of a harder plaster than the production molds, and the image was reversed; like a negative. Production molds were then cast from the master mold, allowing many more lithophanes to be successfully cast.
The seemingly simple process of removing the thin moist panels from the molds required the highest degree of skill to avoid damaging the intricate details in the image. Since the panels were very thin and delicate, and the kilns extremely hot, many fired pieces were warped, twisted, and cracked. In addition, any slight impurity in the porcelain clay body showed up when the fired pieces were lit from behind. Therefore, the number of acceptable finished pieces to come out of the kilns has always been far less than the number that went in. Sometimes, only about 40 percent of the panels survived this process. Since the earliest days of their production, these issues have challenged the makers of lithophanes. Only the most determined craftsmen could overcome these difficulties, and go on to produce these brilliant art pieces.
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