Lava stalagmites bowl

You can imagine lava flows dripping, but in reverse. This bowl is truly special and one of a kind. Why does the outside look like that? This is another kind of lava glaze, one that contains materials that, at high temperature, will start a process of reduction, even though the bowl was fired in an oxidation atmosphere. This intricate effect is hard to reproduce.  

This bowl is made entirely by hand, without a wheel. It is pinched, and then, once it had the right moisture, I carved out a foot. While still wet, I covered it in precious erbium oxide slip.

Once it survived the first firing at 960C, I glazed it first with a matte white glaze inside and then outside I used a special type of lava glaze.

Another two days in the kiln, reaching 1240C, and the minerals in the glaze melted and fused with the clay to create this unique beauty. 

The bowl is functional and measures ca 10cm in diameter and 7cm in height. Due to the nature of the glaze on the outside, this bowl should not be put in the dishwasher or microwave. 

All the glazes are formulated and made by me and tested for food safety in accordance with the law.