German Porcelain Manufacturers

WaterDream: The Art of Bathroom Design

WaterDream: The Art of Bathroom Design, a thought-provoking new exhibit exploring the history of the bath, will debut at the Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA) on June 26th and run until September 24th, 2011. Organized by Bangert Verlag, an award-winning, international design exhibition curator and sponsored by Axor, the exhibition is a four-part, visual journey that explores the evolution of the bath from the early 19th century Europe to today's global market.

Upon entering, visitors will immediately be greeted by the sights and sounds of water. Soft silhouettes that gently move along the perimeter of the gallery reception area create an artistic illusion of the experience of showering.

The historical journey through the evolution of modern bathrooms begins in Victorian England and the French Belle Epoque era (French for "Beautiful Era"), the period in which bathroom design and industrial production combined efforts to create luxurious and state-of-the-art technology. In this era of technological advancement and transformation, the bath was regarded as the latest achievement of cultural modernity. In the WaterDream exhibition, life-size images take guests on a visual journey through the evolution of the bath. The graphic timeline demonstrates important milestones in the process by which bathrooms became luxurious interior space created jointly by engineers and designers, from porcelain bowls and pitchers in the late nineteenth century, to the mass marketing of colorfully designed bathroom products in the 1970s, to the creation of today's cutting-edge modern shower technologies that maximize water experience and minimize environmental impact.

On the adjacent wall, past and present meet as visitors learn how Philippe Starck in collaboration with manufacturers Axor, Duravit and Hoesch, revolutionized the bathroom in the early nineties when he transformed the entire bathroom from a small obscure room into a relaxing retreat drenched in natural light, warm materials and uncompromising modernity--gained inspiration from the simplicity of a nineteenth century German plumbing workshop, with its iron water pumps, buckets, and beaten nails. Starck's approach signaled a turning point in bathroom design in his creation of rooms that expressed a spectrum of moods, emotions and expressions, rather than just creating a rational and utilitarian space.

Soft Play - Is Porcelain Doll Collecting Right For You ...

Prior to the 1900s, the materials used for making dolls were generally paper mache, wax, wood and clay. But these were not the best materials to make dolls with, so some canny makers started manufacturing their dolls with porcelain. Soon after, people started collecting porcelain dolls, and so a new hobby was born.

Why it took manufacturers so long to switch over over to making porcelain dolls is unknown. After all, porcelain was invented by the Chinese in the 600s and used in the main for making pots, plates and cups. Because it can easily be molded and formed, porcelain dolls were easily made in different sizes, shapes and colors. And everywhere, little girls loved them.

A manufacturer of a porcelain doll would first make the face with special clay and carefully mold the facial features. Then the face is either left plain or glazed using a special paint. This produces two kinds of doll, the glazed one is called a china doll while the unglazed one is called a bisque doll .

Next, the manufacturer fires up his kiln (which is a sort of oven) and heats the doll head at around 2000 degrees. After the first firing, it is painted a skin color and popped back into the kiln for more heat. Many more manufacturers produced bisque dolls than china dolls simply because bisque looks similar to real skin.

After the firing, the head is connected to the rest of the doll’s body. Just like the head, the torso, arms and legs of the doll have been through the kiln process as well. Once assembled, the doll is dressed in suitable clothing for the type of doll that it is.

Some of the most well-known porcelain doll makers are in Germany. France follows closly behind as a quality maker of dolls. Doll makers in both these countries have earned their good reputation due to the intricate detail of their dolls. The craftmanship and quality these manufacturers put into their dolls has earned them an excellent world-wide reputation and made German and French dolls very popular among collectors.

Now, if you are thinking of starting to collect dolls, you might believe that it will be expensive. Not so – some porcelain dolls can be bought for around $10, while others may go for up to $500. But antique bisque dolls do occassionally go for $1,000 plus. Obviously, prices depend on quality, condition and rarity.

So, if collecting porcelain dolls sounds like something you would enjoy, the best advice I can give you is do a little research reading before you start buying. This way you will easily become familiar with porcelain dolls and are more likely to get value for your money when you buy.

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