Glazing Over

Photo by The Curated Feast

I’ve been taking a pottery class for the last 6 weeks, and that has given me such a deeper appreciation for every handmade vessel I hold, now. I’ve learned so much, and yet my works remain novice. Still I am so happy because I’ve stepped into a new appreciation for the complexities and beauty of each piece. I’ve just begun glazing my own work, too and was so interested to explore its long history. 

I learned that today’s glazes are typically a mixture of glass particles and powdered oxides. Historically, so many types of glazes were tried out. During the Renaissance, tin glazing became quite popular. That lineage of glaze started in the 8th Century in Mesopotamia, then came into popularity in Persia around 1100 AD. It fell out of favor when enamel glazes came into fashion in the 1700s. Tin-glazed pieces look white, glossy, and opaque, and were usually applied to red or buff colored clay.

Would you like to learn more about the history of ceramics and glazes? I would love to share more!

Cup by @sannyceramics, hand modeling by @kylejouras, coffee by @catcloudcoffee.