Lithophane Tutorial denfordata（Lithophane教程denfordata）.pdfVIP

Lithophane Tutorial Lithophanes are images that can be created by limiting the amount of light that passes through a material. By changing the thickness of the material the amount of light passing through creates a contrast. The material used must be translucent for the effect to work. Lithophane History Perhaps one of the most unusual and interesting art forms to emerge from the early 19th century is the lithophane. Generally credited as being the invention of Baron Paul de Bourguignon, of Rubelles, France, in 1827, the earliest forms of lithophanes were actually produced in China many years before other countries produced them. Chinese potters employed the process to trace floral designs in the delicate walls of eggshell thin porcelain vases. There is little historical evidence indicating the exact origins of this technique in China, but it is certain that the knowledge predates the subsequent discovery by the Europeans. However, it was the Europeans that evolved the concept from simple floral pictures into complex, intricately detailed scenes. A wide variety of images appeared on lithophanes. The subject matter included quaint and delightful replicas of rural scenes and children at play, reproductions of famous portraits and popular paintings, dramatic religious scenes, hunting images, and scenic panoramas. It was the efforts of the Baron de Bourguignon that led to the great popularity of lithophanes during the mid-19th century. His concept was simply this: a sheet of porcelain carved in varying degrees of thickness, when held to a light, would result in a highly detailed picture with the soft image quality of a mezzotint. This simple concept however, was not easy to execute. Sheer artistry of high order was required to make a master carving from which the lithophanes could be moulded. The very first lithophanes were individually carved entirely by hand. But shortly after their introduction, the artists re