Sitting at the dining table is something special to talk about with loved ones. Eating is not the only thing that is done at the table. It is an experience that connects everyone and time is taken to feast the eyes on the table display. The food is the main attraction, but nothing is better than an exquisitely crafted plate to elevate each meal. Hand-painted porcelain plates, which are not like other common tableware, are each a work of celebrated craftsmanship. Every individually and painstakingly crafted plate transforms dining in the home into a special experience. Every meal with such tableware becomes an occasion to which the home, and its daily routines, gets an artistic uplift.
With so many different products manufactured and sold, there is something so special about collecting hand painted products. The base value of hand painted porcelain is most definitely due to their uniqueness. Since hand painting every single plate, it is in fact impossible for an artist to replicate their unique products. Having this piece of art means more than just owning a plate. All this added artistry creates a visual and fabricated individuality that will impress everyone at the dinner table.
Having an entire collection of different hand painted porcelain products is the same as owning an entire gallery collection, an entire hand painted unique art collection, but also being able to use the art everyday. In fact, many artisans love to promote this uniqueness. The polar opposite of this uniqueness is the generic products, where thousands and thousands of indistinguishable products are manufactured and called a collection. The uniqueness and value of hand-painted porcelain products is, and will definitively remain unmatched.
The process of creating a hand-painted porcelain dish forms a deep respect for the beauty of craftsmanship. The dish starts as a molded, unpainted white porcelain body, and transforms into a piece of art through a delicate, multi-step journey. An artist's first step involves prepping the body for the painting process.
A true master is needed to finish the decoration process. Special brushes are dipped into various metal oxide pigments and painted directly onto the surface of the porcelain. This is a much more difficult process than simply painting on a flat surface. In this case, the artist has to master the 3-dimensional manipulation of the pigment. They have to use control and precision on a curved surface. Writing a tiny character, for example, might require 4 to 5 dips of the brush. This is done to show the level of precision needed for this piece of art. Once painting is done, the piece must be placed into a kiln and fired at a temperature of 1230 to 1340. This process fuses the design to the glaze, which makes it durable, resistant to wear and safe to use. Intricate designs require multiple rounds of kiln firing, with each layer of color. The more colors, the more difficult and the more time this entire process takes. The entire labor intensive process is difficult, with lots of room for pieces to crack, or for the colors to not turn out right during firing, which is what makes each plate a small triumph.
Think about how special it would feel to eat a delicious meal on handpainted porcelain. The design on your plates can give a specific feel or even reflect a season. For cheerful summer brunches, plates with bright, bold flowers can really liven tings up and for formal dinner parties, more subdued, elegant patterned pieces can set a classy tone. This ability to set the atmosphere of the entire meal with just the plates makes dinner more immersive and thematic!
In addition to these plates' one of a kind charm, they are versatile and serve many functions and occasions, not just for the fancy ones. Using a hand painted plate for a special breakfast can elevate the experience and make for a pretty picture. You can be more thoughtful in plating the food, considering the artwork underneath. At a gathering, these plates can be great conversation starters as guests are drawn to the stories and patterns of the plates. One enthusiast mentions the psychological richness intentional eating can have, and mixing different styles of tableware to match different moods can make the simple act of eating feel that way. These plates can be used to elaborate tablescapes that are personal, dynamic and beautiful, creating an stunning gallery for your meals.
To help you make the right choice when it comes to selecting hand-painted porcelain, we’ve compiled a few tips below. For starters, you should take a look at the glossiness and brightness of the glaze. A plate of the highest quality should have an even glaze that is bright and shiny, smooth, and free of imperfections like flecks and air bubbles. If you lightly graze the surface with your fingers, it should feel smooth. If the design is painted under the glaze, that is a sign of quality hand painting, as it is a more durable and quite safe method of decorating porcelain.
Next, look at the artistry of the painting. Look for noticeable, precise, and clean brush strokes and colors that look good together. The artwork should be competent. The pieces do show great attention to detail and craftsmanship, but because these products are created individually, slight differences might occur, and that can be a good thing with these products. The painting should be good, overall. Gently tapping a good porcelain plate should bring a nice, clear sound as opposed to a flat sound, which means the plate is probably not of good quality. Lastly, think about the storage as well. Look for plates that say they are microwave and dishwasher safe, as you should keep that in mind for their eventual use. A lot of microwave and dishwasher safe handpainted plates do exist, especially ones that have been high-fire glazed, but that's something you should definitely double check.
Even though handpainted porcelain plates are made using a long tedious process, being fired at high temps that make them resistant to acids, alkalis, and wear, they still deserve the proper care so that their beauty can be preserved for generations. The good news is that their maintance is pretty simply. For daily cleaning, mild dish soap and a soft cloth can usually do the trick. Most are dishwasher safe, however handwashing is usually suggested to avoid the wear and tear that can occur when other utensils are present.
Please avoid using abrasive chemicals or scrubbers. Using these will slowly begin to dull the glossy surface of the glaze, or worse, create fine, permanent scratches. This is also why you should be extremely cautious of strong acidic or alkaline substances during prolonged storage. The best thing to do when storing your plates is to place them in a cabinet that has padded shelving or put soft cloth dividers in between each plate to avoid them scratching each other. These suggestions help reduce scratches but careful plates with thin gold or metal decorations are even more in need of these precautions as the accent decorations are more prone to damage. If you treat these plates like you would treat your most cherished works of art you will guarantee that your plates can continue to bring happiness to your table for many years.
Ultimately, selecting handpainted art porcelain plates is the choice to make the art of handcrafting visible - with the story of the craft coming to life and being appreciated. In today's fast-paced world, every piece of porcelain is thoughtful and slow. Artisan plates have laborious hours spent to construct a vision and dedicate to the poignant rarity and beauty. Artisans have a philosophy on success that lies in the valuation of the exclusive and handmade, and the resonation of this philosophy is to those with a high level of porcelain art appreciation.
More than a decorative choice, the artwork welcomes more meaning, more beauty, and more art into the everyday ritual of breaking bread together. It allows the table to become a true centerpiece—a spot where food, art, and conversation unite. So, when the table is set, what stage is being prepared? With hand-painted art Porcelain plates, the table is always a storytelling one, and the meal is a special one.
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