The Magic of Ceramic Glazes by Jörg Schwandt

The Magic of Ceramic Glazes by Jörg Schwandt - Nils Thorson and the Artist Stoneware of Royal Copenhagen, 1932–1975.

This publication explores the unique beauty of Chinese glazes, drawing on the classically inspired works created at Royal Copenhagen’s stoneware studio from the 1930s to the 1970s.
The deeply luminous and finely textured glazes of classical Chinese ceramics have fascinated both experts and collectors for centuries. When fired at approximately 1300 °C, the ceramic body and the glaze fuse together, forming a new materiality with a unique aesthetic and emotional power.
For the first time, this publication presents the wide variety of glaze effects from a perspective rooted in decades of intensive personal engagement with these works. The focus is on the visual and tactile qualities of the glazes, while chemical formulas and technical jargon have been deliberately omitted.
The catalog is divided into 13 sections, each dealing with a specific type of glaze and beginning with a brief introduction. The main body of the book is devoted to the almost magical properties of the glazes. Here, the book explores the causes of their optical and tactile effects, nature’s role as a model, the decorative potential of technical variations, the creation of contrasts, and the physical tension between the ceramic body and the glaze.
An appendix also includes an overview of the artists’ signatures and date codes.