Octagonal bowl with Japanese silverleaf design in overglaze enamel.

Overglaze enamel

Overglaze enamel decorations (iro-e, literally “colored pictures”) are achieved by applying designs to the surface of already glazed and fired porcelain. The decorations are painted over the glaze, and the piece is fired again at a low temperature of approximately 800℃. The pigments used in traditional overglaze decorations are known as wa enogu (“Japanese paints”) and offer a palette of colors such as red, blue, yellow, green, and purple. Overglaze enameling may also be done with Western pigments (yō enogu).