This cat we looked at two weeks ago really comes to life in the dark. Whoever designed this had a real sense of atmosphere.
The translucency of the porcelain in conveyed well through the dry brushed underglaze. If you look at the detail shots of the head you can see how the dry brush strokes allow the translucency to come through. Underglaze applied by the standard wet method would be a lot more opaque.
Like the secret pattern in the blanc de chine cat, use is being made of the translucency of the porcelain to convey hidden information. Unless you looked very closely inside the mouth of the cat, you would not otherwise know it had been painted red. I have not cleaned in there and have not determined if it is fired red enamel or paint that has been airbrushed inside.
This idea of hidden information, of a piece transforming in the dark is something I plan to explore once I get back to the two night lights I am working on.
