Stoneware is defined in that the clay body itself vitrifies enough for the unglazed vessel to be water-tight and very durable. These wares are often glazed for aesthetic reasons, but the simplest are formed and fired just once and are useful at that point. Crocks for preserving foods and jugs for storing drinks, as well as a plethora of other useful items, are formed from these kinds of clays, which can be found in many parts of the world. All pottery that self-glazes is considered stoneware, the opposite of which is earthenware, which must be fired twice, the second time using a high-fire glaze that makes it water-tight.

Originally thrown on the wheel, stoneware can also be hand formed, press molded, drape molded and slip cast. Because of the uninspiring looks of most of these clays when fired, exterior decoration and or the use of glazes was common to make the vessels more eye-catching or to identify the contents of the container.

Finishing Techniques

• Albany slip, a clay suspended in water: the formed items is dipped into the slip and fired. The result is a smooth, opaque brown surface. Sometimes only used on the inside of the piece while the outside was finished using another technique.
• salt glaze: salt is added to the kiln at a high temperature. The sodium reacts with the clay body to form a glassy finish.
• alkaline glaze: a drippy olive of brown finish, smooth and uniform, used in the southeast US.
• Bristol glaze: a glaze which gives the vessel a white opaque finish, it often used as the base for spongeware, or combined with Albany slip to produce brown and white ware.

Decorating Techniques

• sponging: using a contrasting glaze lights applied using natural sponges to get a spotty/mottled effect and a orange peel texture.
• incising: lines or other figures are scratched into the vessel once it is formed and air dried. Sometimes having minerals rubbed into the lines to make them stand out more vividly.
• impression: a coggle wheel is used to impress lines of squiggles or other shapes around the vessel.
• application: hand-formed or press molded decorations are applied to the vessel while still damp using slip. These can be anything from a mask or face to Classical scenes or wreaths of ivy leaves or grapes.
• stencil: a stencil is used to make areas open for the design. A colored glaze is sponged over the openings in the stencil. Several stencil may be used with different colors to provide more complicated designs. Also used for applying the maker’s names, volume indicators (qt. or pt. for example) or intended contents.
• slip: slip of a contrasting color, or even the same color, is spotted or trailed on the outside surface, giving it visual interest.
• decals and copper prints: on fine stoneware, simple or complicated designs can be applied to the stoneware using decals or copper transfer prints. Dinnerware that is not hand-painted is usually decorated in this way.

Items made from Stoneware

• storage for food and drink: jugs, pots, jars, crock, water coolers, bottles, flasks, canteens.
• vessels for serving or consuming food and drink: mugs, pitchers, punch bowls, sugar bowls, salts, bowls, goblets, glasses.
• cooking utensils: bean pots, churns, mortars.
• household containers: face jugs, inkwells, spittoons, chamber pots, hot water bottles. flower pots, urns, banks, tobacco humidors.
• Non-containers: doorstops, figurines, miniatures, toys, whistles.

Stoneware covers a lot of ground, and you may already own more of it than you think. Even leaving out dinnerware, don’t you have a crock, or bean pot somewhere? Perhaps as a family heirloom? And, given the list above, isn’t there something on the list that piques your interest? For me, I would like to see stoneware figurines and miniatures, I bet I own a few soon thereafter.

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