Keywords of ceramics: A - L

Abaquesne: Masséot Abaquesne (ca 1510 - ca 1560) is a renowned French potter born in Cherbourg, Normandy. His work is typical of the influence of the Italian Renaissance in France: he was often inspired by mythology and grotesque decorations. His studio was in Rouen. He made 2 famous and exquisite tile pavements in the 1550s. One for the castle of La Bâtie d'Urfé in central France (now partly exhibited in Le Louvre), and one for the Constable of Montmorency in his palace of Ecouen near Paris (still in place). Abaquesne also produced over 4,000 apothecary jars with stout faces and wreath of fruit and flowers inspired by Della Robbia.

Alicatado: The word comes from the Arabic alcâ’ât which refers to patios. An alicatado is a composition of fragments of tiles of various sizes and coulours. This technique is close to mosaic.

Alfardon: again with an Arabic root, an alfardon is an hexagonal tile used in pavements. Four of them settled around a square tile form an octogon. This pattern was much used during the Italian Renaissance.

Arista (Spanish for ridges): a technique consisting of stamping a tile of soft clay with a mould to create geometric patterns. The ridges thus created form separate compartments which can be filled with white tin glaze or coloured glazes. This technique is close to cloisonné.

Azulejo: tin-glazed tiles produced since the 14^th century in Spain. The word does not come from azul (blue in Spanish) but from the Arabic al-zulay (little polished stone). The term was first used to designate a composition of coloured tiles aimed at copying Roman North-African mosaics. It then became the common word for an entirely decorated tile of about 13 to 15 centimetres (5 to 6 inches). Panels of azulejos were first created in Seville around 1500 by an Italian painter, Francisco Niculoso. Niculoso was probably trained in a Della Robbia family workshop in Florence. The art of azulejos was developed and brought to its highest expression during the 17^thsup> and 18^th century in Portugal.

Biscuit: a piece of ceramic that has been only fired once. It will then be glazed, decorated, and fired again.

Celadon: Chinese porcelain ware with a light blue-green shade. The word celadon is probably a corruption of the name Sãlãh-ed-dîn (Saladin), the Sultan of Egypt, who is said to have given forty pieces of celadon wares to the Sultan of Damascus in 1171. It is sometimes suggested that the name derives from the colour of the costume of the shepherd Céladon, main character of L'Astrée, a famous 17^th-century French novel. The Chinese word for celadon is Doh chin which means green bean glaze, while the Japanese name is Seiji.

Cuerda seca (Spanish for dry rope): a technique by which outlines are drawn on the surface of the tile with a syringe containing manganese mixed with a greasy substance. The resulting outlines prevent the coloured glazes from mingling. This technique was first developed in the late 14^th century in Persia, and was thereafter used in Spain.

Delft: capital of Dutch ceramic production. After the capture of Antwerp by the Spanish in 1585, Italian artisans settled in several Belgian and Dutch cities, including Delft. These craftsmen were strongly influenced by the tin-glazing techniques developed in Spain (see azulejo) and later-on in Italy. During the 17^th century, Delft factories began producing polychrome ceramics which copied Chinese Kangshi and Japanese Imari wares. Blue Delftware was frequently copied in England and northern France in the 18^th century. 18^th-century Delft tiles can be seen throughtout Europe and in U.S. colonial houses.

Della Robbia: Florentine family of sculptors and ceramists famous for their maiolica bas-reliefs. Luca Della Robbia (around 1400-1482) is the founder of the atelier. He perfected a process for making clay reliefs and figures permanent by glazing them. Originally, these were figures on a blue background (his medallions and reliefs of the Madonna and Child are especially notable). He later added glazes of many colours, especially green and yellow, to the bas-reliefs, usually with a wreath of fruit and flowers surrounding the figures. Many of the Della Robbia terra-cottas are still in their original settings on buildings in Florence and Siena.

Enamel: see Glaze.

Engobe: liquid clay applied to cover the surface of a biscuit. The purpose of the engobe is to provide a ground for further decoration, to give colour to a piece, or to improve the surface texture.

Faience: French word for maiolica. It derives from the Italian city of Faenza, well known since the 16^th century for its maiolica production.

Figura avulsa: typical Portuguese azulejo with a blue central motif such as flowers, characters, animals, etc., with 4 simple motifs in the corners. In their composition, Figura avulsa azulejos are similar to Delft tiles.

Figura de convite: a typically Portuguese azulejo panel representing a human-size character: servant, courtier, guard, etc. Figura de convite panels are usually aimed at welcoming guests, hence the name.

Glaze (or enamel): a layer of a glass-like substance which has been fired at high temperature. Applied to ceramic ware it forms a protective moisture-proof coating. In addition to this functional aspect, it enables a variety of surface textures, including degrees of gloss and matt, and finished colour.

Iznik: town in north-west Anatolia, now in Turkey. Under the Byzantines the town was known as or Nicea. The city was primarily known as the site of the first Ecumenical Council in the early history of the Christian church (325 AD). It was later famed for its highly decorated ceramic production starting in the mid-16th century during the Ottoman period. Iznik vessels were originally made in imitation of Chinese porcelain and were highly prized by the Ottoman sultans. Around 1550, beautiful tiles were produced to cover 3 great monuments: the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, the Suleymaniye Mosque in Damascus and the Suleymaniye complex in Istanbul. Large collections of Iznik vessels and tiles are shown in the British Museum, Le Louvre, the Sèvres and Ecouen Museums, etc. Iznik tiles may be seen in quantity in the imperial and religious buildings of Istanbul.