Hard Opaque Vitrified Ceramic Ware Becomes Tableware

By Anna Stenning

Stoneware has been around for hundreds of years, Stoneware is made from dense, non porous clay which is fired at between 1200 - 1280 degrees Celsius, it was fired with common salt (sodium chloride) to form a glaze, the sodium interacted with the silicon and aluminium in the clay forming a pitted surface with a thin glaze which potters called the ”orange peel” effect.

The term stoneware was used for this type of pottery because its constitution, manmade stone being both water-resistant and durable. The influence of colour was slowly introduced by adding raw chemical compounds to the slip (liquid clay) before firing, the colours used were recognised by regions. Ferrous oxide produced a mottled brown colour, blue came from cobalt being added and purple from manganese.

This method of colouring pottery is still about today and often used when teaching about pottery and clay modelling in secondary schools.

There is evidence of stoneware being used by the Romans back in the 12th century in the form of Beardman jugs or Bellarmine jars, however this spread to Europe in the 14th century, with the major production trade centre being Cologne, situated on the Rhine the waterways provided direct links to England and other parts of Holland.

Evidence of shipwrecked ships show that during the 17th century stoneware jugs were used on European ships to transport large quantities of commercial liquids (such as mercury) but were also used for the storage of liquids.

Stoneware differs from that of Earthenware, earthenware is impervious to liquids and fired at a much lower temperature.

Production of stoneware in England only took off into the latter part of the 17th century, Staffordshire produced its finest white salt glazed stoneware between the years of 1720 - 1760, it was the decorating of this Staffordshire creamware which introduced the name Wedgewood. Josiah Wedgewood opened his own factory in the 1750′’s called the Worcester Porcelain Company.

By the 19th century stoneware was being mass produced for common household vessels such as bottles and jars which held anything from ink to preserves, polish to medicines. Stoneware was even used for old fashioned hot water bottles, basically a water tight pan which heated the bed.

Decoration of stoneware became easier over time with the introduction of many brightly coloured glazes, however the use of stoneware bottles dwindled due to glass being less expensive to manufacture.

Stoneware however was still produced by many factories to make decorative vases, bowls, tobacco jars and giftware, including practical kitchenware such as pie dishes.

Stoneware and ceramics became more refined as time went by and the introduction of functional and practical kitchenware exploded. During the 1950′’s plates, dishes, bowls, cups, saucers etc were available as colour coordinated sets, tableware was born.

Many pieces of original stoneware can be seen in museums, original parts of beardmens jugs from Roman times proves just how durable and versatile these vessels actually were, and how these basic vessels influenced tableware of today, we only have to look at the serving dishes, cooking pots and pottery we use nowadays, perhaps slightly more refined though.

About The Author

Anna Stenning looks closely at the creation of stoneware vessels in early history to the evolution of pottery as we know it today.