Handmade Crockery

Handmade crockery is also known as ceramics or pottery. Crockery is utilitarian dinnerware made with ceramic material, or clay. It includes items in a typical dinnerware set such as plates, bowls and mugs. There are many different types of clay, referred to as clay bodies, for making crockery, and several methods to create crockery that fit within two categories: hand-building and throwing.

History

As a utilitarian item, crockery was created to meet a need. In ancient times, crockery was all hand made. As technologies progressed, the presence of handmade crockery diminished due to the industrial revolution and mass production. Today, people still create handmade crockery, but it is considered a craft and is typically much more expensive than mass-produced ceramic goods. Handmade crockery often bears marks the maker placed on the bottom of the piece while the clay was still wet. Many historical pieces are identifiable based on these marks.

Hand-building

Hand-building is the most primitive method of creating crockery. It relies on using your hands and no mechanical tools such a wheel to create the crockery. Two typical hand-building methods include coil building and slab building. Coil building involves creating coils of clay and stacking and joining the coils to build the crockery. Slab building involves taking a slab of clay and cutting, shaping and forming it into the desired piece.

Throwing

Throwing is the most common method to create crockery. This method requires a potter's wheel. First the potter kneads the clay to remove any air bubbles, then throws the ball of clay onto the wheel and shapes it by hand as the wheel spins quickly.

Clay Body

Crockery can be made from any type of ceramic material. The material choice alters the type of glaze and firing for the crockery. Earthenware clay is a red-colored clay body that requires a low temperature firing, whereas porcelain or earthenware clay are high-fire clay bodies. Each clay body has unique characteristics: earthenware is a rich color that the potter can glaze with low-fire glazes that contain a lot of vibrant color; stoneware is a sturdy and versatile clay body; and porcelain a white, pure clay body that is ideal for celadon and other high-fire glazes that are somewhat translucent.

Firing

Firing crockery is the last step of creating it. The potter often bisque fires the crockery to harden the clay and allow the clay to accept the glaze. Once glazed, the potter fires the piece again to the appropriate temperature based on the clay body. This process creates a vitrified surface, enabling the crockery to be functional.

References

• The Potteries: General Guide to Pottery Trade Marks
• The Potteries: Timeline of Stoke-on-Trent
• Robert Compton Pottery: Throwing Large Pots