1. Modelling

The modelling shop is where abstract ideas take shape and are modelled into specific products.

An artist or designer submits a sample or a drawing of an item, a plate for example. An original model of the plate is then produced by a modeller, who allows for the fact that an object in porcelain shrinks about 14% after firing. The original model will then be cast in plaster to create an original mould.

A modeller has normally undergone long training, since these craftsmen need to have artistic flair, but must also understand the methods of porcelain production. The craftsmen who make the plaster moulds from the models produced by modellers are called plasterers.