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the more complex types
were created through casting. In a plastermould,
liquid clay (the “slip”) is
poured, which once dried
takes on the desired shape.
chambers become independent, forming two separate and simpler ovens:
one for unbaked clay,
another for the glazed bisque. In the last decades
of the century, coal begins
to replace wood. The larThe moulded pieces are gest factories in the area
left to dry in stacked cylin- start fitting large “Hoffdrical boxes made with man” tunnel kilns.
refractory fibers, to avoid
direct contact with the fur- In the first half of the ninace flames. Once stacked neteenth century, the deand sealed with strips of corative styles employed
clay, the boxes are then
placed into the oven. The
oldest kilns are made-up
of a combustion chamber
and two superimposed
cooking chambers. In the
highest and hottest part,
the fresh pieces are placed; in the lower, less hot
area, pieces that are decorated and painted, having
been already baked.
in Mondovì are relatively
simple. A brush is used,
alongside natural sponges, either cut or uncut. In
the second part of the century, sponges of different
types and templates, gradually supplant the brush.
In the twentieth century,
stencil decorations using
metal friskets and airbrushes with compressed air
(“a sbruffo”) start being
used.
The rooms are hermetically sealed with bricks
and mortar, leaving some
small holes (called “spyholes”) for checking the cooking. The fire burns for
more than 24 hours, fed
by bundles of chestnut
wood. During the nineteenth century,with bigger
factories and production
volumes, the two firing
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