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Glossary of Ceramic Terms
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Matt glaze - A
dull glaze surface, not very reflective when fired which needs a
slow cooling period or it may turn shiny.
Mold - A plaster shape designed
to pour slip cast into and let dry so the shape comes out as an
exact replica of the mold.
Maturing point - The temperature
at which the clay becomes hard and durable.
Opaque glaze - A non-transparent
glaze which covers the clay or glaze below it.
Oxidation - Firing with a full
supply of oxygen. Oxides show bright colors.
Palette A range of colors used
in the decoration of ceramics.
Potter’s wheel A mechanical
wheel on which a potter throws clay pots.
Salt glaze A thin, glassy glaze
applied to some stoneware and produced by throwing salt into the
kiln at the height of firing. The glaze may show a pitted surface,
known as "orange peel"
Satin glaze - A glaze with
medium reflectance, between matt and gloss.
Slab - Pressed or rolled flat
sections of clay used in hand building.
Slip - Clay mixed with water
with a mayonnaise consistency that’s used in casting and decoration.
Slurry - A thick slip.
Sang-de-boeuf A brilliant red
ceramic glaze developed in early 18th-century China.
Scroddled A mottled pottery
fabricated from pieces of differently colored clays.
Sgraffito A form of ceramic
decoration incised through a colored slip, revealing the ground
beneath.
Shoulder The outward projection
of a vase under the neck or mouth.
Sleeve vase A tall vase of long
thin tubular shape.
Slip A smooth dilution of clay
and water used in the making and decoration of pottery.
Slip-casting The manufacture of
thin-bodied ceramic wares and figures by pouring slip into a mold.
Slip-trailing The application of
slip onto a ceramic form as a way of decorating the surface.
Solifleur A vase shaped with a
long slender neck, suitable for displaying a single cut flower or
bud.
Stoneware The type of pottery
fired at a higher temperature than earthenware, making it durable
and non-porous.
Studio pottery Pottery that has
been individually designed and crafted.
Tazza A large, shallow bowl on a
stemmed foot made in glass, silver, and ceramics from the 16th
century.
Transfer - The printing transfer
of an inked image from an engraved plate to paper or to a sheet
("bat') of tacky glue and from there to a ceramic object.
Transparent glaze - A glaze
which transmits light clearly.
Throwing The technique of
shaping ceramic vessels by hand on a rotating wheel.
Tin glaze A glassy glaze made
opaque by the addition of tin oxide and commonly used on
earthenware.
Underglaze A color or design
painted before the application of the glaze on a ceramic object.
Blue is the most common underglaze color.
Wreathing The spiraling indented
rings inside thrown pottery, left by the potter's fingers, or caused
by distortions during the firing process.
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