St. Michael Night Light
These lights are made with etchings into porcelain slabs to make gorgeous pieces. Even the finest details shine through for the elegant effect one looks for in a night light.
- porcelain
- includes bulb
What is a Lithophane?
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 molded.
The very first lithophanes were individually carved entirely by hand. But shortly after their introduction, the artists reasoned that molds could be made, from which numerous pieces could be cast.
To produce these molds, a sheet of wax was placed on a piece of plate glass.
This provided sufficient transparency for the artist’s guidance. The full thickness of the wax on the glass stopped all light, and any scratch or gouge produced varying degrees of gray. Therefore, the entire range of shading from dark to bright was available for the skilled artisan to bring to life.
