Is Earthenware Durable?

Earthenware dishes are made of clay.

Earthenware has been made since prehistoric times. It is composed of clay and fired at a low temperature. The color can range from reddish-brown to dark red or even white, gray or black, depending on the clay's iron content and the oxygen in the atmosphere of the kiln.

Composition

Flowerpots are a popular earthenware product.

Earthenware is the softest of the three types of pottery, the others being stoneware and porcelain. It is generally made up of 25 percent ball clay, 28 percent kaolin, 32 percent quartz and 15 percent feldspar. Because earthenware is porous, it needs to be glazed and refired to make it waterproof.

History

Two of the Chinese terra-cotta warriors and a horse.

Earthenware was used for pottery and terra-cotta objects, the most famous example of the latter being the 8,000 terra-cotta statues of warriors and horses found in the tomb of the Chinese Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi, who died in 210 BCE. Experiments with using tin and colored glazes and different compositions of clay resulted in earthenware types such as faience, delft and majolica.

Durability

While lower firing temperatures produce brighter glazes, it also results in a less-dense object. Earthenware is more likely to chip and crack than stoneware. Because it also has a softer surface, it is more easily scratched.

References

• Ceramic Art
• Chinese Terracotta Army
• "The Ceramic Glaze Handbook: Materials,Techniques, Formulas;" Mark Burleson; 2003