Phanolith is a kind of porcelain that combines the characteristics and benefits of jasperware and pâte-sur-pâte . It was developed at Villeroy & Boch in Mettlach, Saarland, Germany, at the end of the nineteenth century. [1] As the creator of the Phanolith, the artist Jean-Baptiste Stahl headed the modeller section at Villeroy & Boch. The Phanolith gained first wide public attention at the World's Fair 1900 in Paris.
Jasperware, or jasper ware, is a type of pottery first developed by Josiah Wedgwood in the 1770s. Usually described as stoneware, it has an unglazed matte "biscuit" finish and is produced in a number of different colours, of which the most common and best known is a pale blue that has become known as Wedgwood Blue. Relief decorations in contrasting colours are characteristic of jasperware, giving a cameo effect. The reliefs are produced in moulds and applied to the ware as sprigs.
Pâte-sur-pâte is a French term meaning "paste on paste". It is a method of porcelain decoration in which a relief design is created on an unfired, unglazed body, usually with a coloured body, by applying successive layers of (usually) white porcelain slip with a brush. Once the main shape is built up, it is carved away to give fine detail, before the piece is fired. The work is very painstaking and may take weeks of adding extra layers and allowing them to harden before the next is applied.
Villeroy & Boch is a large manufacturer of ceramics with the company headquarters located in Mettlach, Saarland.
Phanolith plaque at the height of Jean-Baptiste Stahl's work.
Section from a large cup.
