Overglaze Decoration

How it works

The porcelain is first glazed and fired at high temperature. Enamels are then painted onto the finished glaze and fixed in a second, much lower firing, typically between 700 and 900°C. Complex pieces may pass through the kiln several times, one palette at a time.

Why it matters

Lower temperatures allow a far wider palette than underglaze pigments can survive: greens, yellows, aubergine, iron red, rose pink, gold. The colour sits on the glaze rather than within it, so it reads brighter, can be shaded and layered, and can be seen and sometimes felt as a slightly raised surface.