Ceramic products are everyday objects made of clay and its mixtures by molding, drying and firing. They can be household (dishes, toys), construction (bricks, tiles) and artistic and decorative (tiles, sculpture). Products made of ceramics can have a colorless or partially transparent surface. In ancient times, people used ceramic containers mainly as tableware.
The most basic of the history of the development of ceramic products
Clay as a material was not immediately mastered by man. When clay was fired, moisture and dampness were removed from it, thus some substances disintegrated, and others, on the contrary, were formed. And only after the clay was fired completely, it turned into ceramics.
To make clay into ceramics, it was necessary to fire it at a temperature of 500-900° Celsius. If the temperature was low, the process took a long time. And today in Asia and Africa, craftsmen fire clay on a fire. As before, it is placed on the surface, and wood is laid next to it. This process lasts from 8 hours.
Also for this purpose a special slide was invented, where the temperature could be raised to the desired parameter, without making any unnecessary efforts. This method is much more efficient and faster. In the Middle Ages, a horn was created, which became the main accessory of all artisans.
At present, you can see many varieties of ceramic products. However, in the past, a distinction was made between fine pottery and coarse pottery. To thin ceramic products include porcelain, semipharmony, faience, majolica. Rough ceramics, on the other hand, was a rather narrow focus. It included mainly pottery art. Porcelain products represented a sintered shard. Most often it was exactly white or ivory color. Water absorption was low, when the masters knocked on the product, it made a melodious sound.
The emergence and development of ceramic craft
Products first appeared in ancient times. Then clay vessels appeared. Most often they were used in the household and in the kitchen. At that time, they even tried to use hot clay. In the Neolithic era, firing began to spread. Initially, the dishes had a sharp bottom, then there were products with a flat bottom. The dishes were decorated with various ornaments and other details. There were different designs for each area, depending on the culture and people. In parallel, clay objects were used as industrial material.
In the Bronze Age in Egypt, masters began to use special equipment, which allowed faster and better to create products. After that, this craft became an official profession at that time. In China at that time began to make thin-walled glazed dishes. Craftsmen came to this thanks to the use of high-quality white clay – kaolin. After that the masters mastered earthenware.
