engraved sake cups

Ø 6-6,5cm

these pieces are the result of a collaboration
with czech glass engraver Pavlína Čambalová.
they are small cups for rice wine or other spirits
that have been thrown on the wheel from a
pure white porcelain body and later trimmed
and faceted with a knife.
I glazed them with a dark tenmoku or
a deep blue cobalt glaze.
after the glaze firing, when the pieces would
normally be finished and ready to use,
Pavlína engraved a signature "M" into the glaze,
using a variety of tools like copper wheels, diamonds
and stones. thus, the underlying porcelain colour
was exposed for striking contrast.
the art of glass engraving has a long tradition in the
czech republic and is still alive and well today.
ceramic glaze is essentially glass, only covering a
clay structure, and can be engraved.
it´s an exacting and time consuming process,
engraving one letter takes about an hour