Imari fan-shaped dish

Key Words

ceramic; oriental

Questions to ask

Why do you think that European potters began to imitate the Imari design from the 1680s onwards? Do some research and find out which manufacturers made this oriental style a quintessentially English China pattern.

What kind of people would have created a demand for exotic looking porcelain goods in England?

The patterns on the edges of this dish are symmetrical but the main part is decorated with a very asymmetrical design. What effect does this create?

How this might inspire your work

Decorate a ceramic tile with your own Imari design-inspired ceramic decal.

Some laser photocopiers and printers - such as Apple, Hewlett Packard and Dell Black and White Laser printers – contain 60% iron oxide as well as other pigments in their toner cartridge. When a decal is printed using such a photocopier or printer, then applied to a glazed ceramic surface and fired, the iron oxide endures the firing and leaves a permanent image on the ceramic.

Take a white, pre-glazed ceramic tile. Use a pencil to draw an Imari-inspired design onto white paper. Go over the design with black ink. Remember that the design must fit onto your tile. Load the Decal paper into a suitable Laser photocopier, or a printer with a scanner attached, and copy your Imari-inspired design onto the Decal paper.

When your Decal has been printed, cut it out, staying close to the line. Place the cut Decal into warm water for roughly a minute. When the Decal slides off the backing paper, take it out of the water and place onto your tile (design side down). Ensure that the surface is smooth and do not allow any air bubbles to remain underneath the Decal.

After the tile is fired, use red and blue glazes or china paint wash to add colour to your design.