Earthenware is a common ceramic material, which is used extensively for pottery tableware and decorative objects.
Contents |
Types of earthenware
Although body formulations vary between countries and even between individual makers, a generic composition is 25% ball clay, 28% kaolin, 32% quartz and 15% feldspar. Earthenware is one of the oldest materials used in pottery. While red earthenware made from red clays is very familiar and recognizable, white and buff coloured earthenware clays are also commercially available and commonly used.
Earthenware may sometimes be as thin as bone china and other porcelains, though it is not translucent and is more easily chipped. It is also less strong, less tough, and more porous than stoneware, but is less expensive and easier to work. Due to its higher porosity, earthenware must usually be glazed in order to be watertight.
There are several types of earthenware, including
Firing
Earthenware is commonly bisque (or "biscuit") fired[1] to temperatures between 1000 and 1150 °C (1800 and 2100 °F), and glost-fired (or "glaze-fired") from 950 to 1,050 °C (1,742 to 1,922 °F). However examples of the reverse — low biscuit and high glost firing — can also be found: this can be popular with some studio potters where biscuit temperatures may be 900 to 1,050 °C (1,652 to 1,922 °F) with glost temperatures in the range of 1,040 to 1,150 °C (1,904 to 2,102 °F). The exact temperature will be influenced by the raw materials used and the desired characteristics of the finished ware. The higher firing temperatures are likely to cause earthenware to bloat. After firing, the body is porous and opaque with colours ranging from white to red depending on the raw materials used.
See also
References
- ^ (2012 [last update]). "Ceramic Arts Daily – Ten Basics of Firing Electric Kilns". ceramicartsdaily.org. http://ceramicartsdaily.org/firing-techniques/electric-kiln-firing/ten-basics-of-firing-electric-kilns/. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
- Rado, P. An Introduction to the Technology Of Pottery. 2nd edition. Pergamon Press, 1988.
- Ryan W. and Radford, C. Whitewares: Production, Testing And Quality Control. Pergamon Press, 1987.
- Hamer, Frank and Janet. The Potter's Dictionary of Materials and Techniques. A & C Black Publishers Limited, London, England, Third Edition, 1991. ISBN 0-8122-3112-0.
External links
- Digital Version of "A Representation of the manufacturing of earthenware" — 1827 text on the manufacture of earthenware
- Short film on pottery making around the world
- Tin-glazed earthenware livery-button, ca 1651, Victoria & Albert museum jewellery collection
|