Pre-modern artificial materials. Natural philosophical and art-theoretical contexts of glass and ceramics in China and Europe

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Henrike Haug
• Subject Area: Art History ; Asian Studies ; History of Science
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 556479499

Artificially created materials were not only invented in the 19th century - many cultures possessed the expertise to produce new materials from natural resources for hundreds of years. Among them are metal alloys as well as glass, stoneware, porcelain as well as the glazes of low-fired pottery. The production of these materials requires a highly developed technological aptitude, precise knowledge of the mixing ratios of the raw materials and expertise in the succession of stages in the manufacturing process. This knowledge emerges at different times in different places, migrates, is refined and constantly changes as a result of cultural encounters, experimental material research and through the availability of regional resources. Our interdisciplinary project combines Chinese and European sources to create a dialogue. We consciously consider glass and sintered ceramics together, as both materials are subjected to substantial transformations during the firing process due to the extreme heat, resulting in a modified material quality. The Chinese term "ci" also does not distinguish between stoneware and porcelain (Bowyer Honey, 1949), but solely separates earthenware from these two high-fired products, thus emphasizing the similarities between the materials sintered in the fire. Bringing together research from the fields of art history and the history of science, our project examines texts and objects from before 1750 relating to the fields of reference and to the value of these man-made materials. Particular focus is placed on natural philosophical conceptions between natural and artificial materials as well as on how cultural concepts of creative power, natural processes, artistic practices or the social status of labor are adapted, varied, misunderstood, ignored or reinterpreted in intercultural translations.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants