Bone Ash

bone ash, cattle sacrum bone, commercial porcelain, Ball clay, kaolin, minspar 200, silica, darvan, fir. 


Bone ash is produced by the calcination of bones. When firing, there is a chemical reaction that takes place, creating bone china or anorthite. The material is traditionally added to porcelain, to create a translucent and pure white finish.

The bones typically used in this process are that of cattle. When I first saw this bone The shape of this particular bone, to me, references butterflies, a motif that always calls my attention.Throughout history, butterflies have always been a symbol representing the cycle of life, and the cycle can be interpreted with bone ash and any other mineral that goes through various phases.

*The bone in the final iteration of this piece has been altered.