What is Pottery?

Pottery is a craft that has been around for many centuries. It can be made from a variety of materials and techniques, but the most common is that it is thrown or formed on a potter’s wheel.

The basic forms of pottery are bowls, vases and other round or cylindrical vessels. They are often decorated in a variety of ways, including terra sigillata and other forms of decoration which can be applied before the wares are formed.

Decorative additions are also used to produce a finished ware that is more attractive and aesthetically pleasing. These include contrasting coloured clays, grog (fired clay that has been finely ground), and metal oxides or carbonates which are added to the body before it is shaped.

Burnishing: Wares that are partially dried and contain little water may be burnished before firing by rubbing with an instrument of wood, steel or stone, to produce a surface that is resistant to wear and survives the fire. These operations can be performed by hand, on a potter’s wheel or on a machine.

Banding: The application of a band of colour to the edge of a plate or cup is called “banding”. It is typically carried out on a potter’s wheel.

Firing: The kiln is the final stage of the process of making pottery, and a variety of temperature and firing conditions are used to achieve a desired effect on a ware. These can range from very low, oxidizing temperatures which can cause the ware to be brown in color, to high temperatures which produce a white vitrified type of ceramic known as porcelain.