Glazing with milk is the way of decorating ceramic goods

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Glazing with milk is one of the oldest and perhaps most eco-friendly ways of decorating ceramic ware. This age-old technique is used for adding waterproof properties and authentic looks to ceramic goods.

New crockery is like a person with no soul. According to popular beliefs, the household properties of crockery would often be attributed to the personality of potters who were considered to create vessels for the souls. People believed that spirits both good and not so good may take up their adobe in an unprotected vessel. Therefore, who and in what mood was cooking dishes in each piece of crockery for the first time was highly important. Therefore, initial processing of ceramic ware gained a form of a particular ritual.

Brand-new pots would be washed with water, processed with milk, wheat flour and herbal potions, i.e. the products that according to age-old popular beliefs were the symbols of good, fertility, fruitfulness, wealth and health. All these things embodied protective magic power and with time the potters themselves began performing these manipulations with crockery.

The tradition of glazing with milk in different variations has been kept till our days, having lost its primary meaning and gained a more decorative character. Indeed, glazing with milk gives crockery deep brown or black colour.

For glazing with milk we take ceramic ware that underwent the first firing in the kiln (in our workshop the process involves heating up to 1000 degrees C during 11 – 12 hours). After that the item has to be submerged in pasteurized milk for 1-2 minutes after which it should be left to dry for 40-45 minutes. Try not to leave fingerprints on the crockery. Later the item has to be put into a cold oven which should be gradually heated up to maximum temperature until the smell of burnt milk is felt. You will observe the change of hues from light to dark, so switch off the oven as soon as you like the colour.

The colour of your choice after such firing may have a hue from light to dark brown and black. It depends on the properties of an individual kiln, furnace or oven, its temperature and duration of exposure, the amount of fat in the milk, so every time the result may be different. However, the colour is always warm which makes it a feast for your eyes. It is important to remember that it is possible to make an item darker but you won’t be able to make it lighter.

As soon as you have made up your mind about the desired colour, switch off the oven and as soon as it cools down, take the item out. Eventually, it is necessary to pour strong tea into the ceramic product that has already cooled down and let it infuse overnight. In this way you will be able to get rid of the earthly scent of clay.

Have a nice use of the ceramic ware that you have made with your own hands! Being in Kyiv we invite you to visit our pottery workshops.

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