The Magic of Ceramic Glazes. Nils Thorsson and the Artist Stoneware of Royal Copenhagen 1932–1975

This new publication invites you to experience the sensual effect of glazes from a new perspective. Forgoing unnecessary technical information, the work introduces the magic of glazes through vivid descriptions and striking photographs, revealing how they fuse with the underlying ceramic body to form an artistic whole. In addition, numerous close-ups illustrate the reasons behind the optical and haptic effects that make high-fired glazes so impressive, detailing their astonishing capacity to infiltrate our personal realm of experience through visual and physical means.

The catalogue section is divided into thirteen segments, each one dealing with a different glaze and featuring a concise introductory description. It presents selected works from the Royal Copenhagen Manufactory showing the diversity and depth of classical, East Asian-inspired glazes such as celadon, oxblood and temmoku. The usual scientific toolkit of chemical formulas and specialised terminology has been deliberately avoided. Instead, special focus lies on describing the glazes and their aesthetic impact, providing explanations on the causes behind special glaze effects, the significance of nature as a model, the decorative potential of particular technical deviations and the emergence of colour contrasts.

The book thus provides a tantalising insight into the diverse creative possibilities that ceramic artists have at their disposal when working with stoneware. The appendix includes the biographies and signatures of the featured artists as well as year codes that enable precise dating of the ceramics, making the book a practical reference work for all those interested in ceramics.

The publication is launched to mark the exhibition of the same name at the Bröhan Museum in Berlin.