La Ceramo vase and pitcher. Valencia, 19th-20th century

LA CERAMO vase and beer mug. Valencia, late 19th century-early 20th century.
Kirin Beer Mug Collection.
Ceramic with metallic luster.
With inscriptions on the base Kirin Beer Mug Collection.
Measurements: 22,5 x 11 cm.

Set consisting of a vase and a beer mug made of lusterware inspired by the production of Manises in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, combining the luster with cobalt blue and incorporating motifs of Gothic inspiration and figures derived from medieval forms.

La Ceramo was a tile factory founded in 1889 in the Valencian town of Benicalap. They specialized in the production of amphorae, vases and other pottery vessels with the so-called metallic luster technique. He participated in the Budapest Ceramic Exhibition in 1891, receiving a diploma of honor and selling all the pieces sent. In 1892 it was also present at the Exhibition of Artistic Industries held in Barcelona, within the International Section of reproductions. It is believed that the Empress Sissi, on her way through Valencia, visited the La Ceramo factory where she bought plates and other objects of gilded earthenware. Currently, examples of her production can be seen in different buildings and spaces in the city of Valencia, such as the Estación del Norte, the Central Market of Valencia, the Mercado de Colón, the "Almacenes La Isla de Cuba", or the extension of the Valencia City Hall.

Lustre ceramics will be the great art of the Nasrid period, although it was born in Spain during the Almohad period, between the second half of the 12th century and the first half of the 13th century. In later times it will have special development in Manises, where the Hispano-Muslim tradition will continue in both the technical and decorative aspects. It is a glazed ceramic, that is to say, with a white enamel bath, very pure in the best examples, which is fired in the kiln. On it, once cold, it is decorated with a pigment composed of five basic ingredients: copper, silver, sulfur, almazarrón (iron oxide) and vinegar. The final tone will depend on the proportion of these components, resulting more golden if it has a greater amount of silver, and more reddish if copper predominates. Finally, the piece is fired a second time at 650ºC, in a reducing atmosphere, to fix the decoration. Once the piece is fired, the decoration is black, so it has to be burnished to obtain the final shiny metallic gold tone.