Pottery is an ancient craft, with the earliest known examples of wheel-thrown pottery dating to 4000 B.C. in Egypt and 3000 B.C. in China. Early potters developed useful things as well as objects that reflected their gods.
There are two ways to make pottery, by hand or using a wheel. Additionally, there are three primary processes involved in hand-created pottery. Pinch pot is a straightforward style of hand-made pottery that dates back to ancient times. The potter kneads and shapes the clay into a pot, dish, bowl, or cup.
With coiling, the potter rolls the clay into a long roll and then stacks the coils on top of each other to create various shapes. The slab technique uses a thick, flat plate or slice of clay that is cut into forms and then linked together to produce an object. The potter scores the clay (making scratches on the surface) of the linked edges, and uses a slip (diluted clay) to join the individual pieces.
Wheel-created pottery takes specialized knowledge, including operating the wheel and handling the clay while it is spinning. It takes time to develop wheel-throwing skills, but it is a considerably more efficient method once learned. Traditionally, the potter manually powered the wheels by using their leg. However, modern-day wheels are spun by electric motors.
While there are several varieties of clay, potters use only those with a specific range of qualities. The ability to shape without cracking or breaking is among the essential properties required. Also, the clay must have the ability to be fired to the temperatures required to transform from raw clay into a ceramic material without distortion. It must also have the ability to produce repeatable results using the same treatment, allowing the potter to create the desired wares consistently.
Three commonly used categories of pottery clay are earthenware, porcelain, and stoneware. Earthenware, constructed of clay mined from the earth, is often baked at a lower temperature than the other two categories. If it is not glazed, it will absorb water and prevent light from passing through. The pottery color is determined by the clay used – it is typically buff, brown, or a reddish hue. Earthenware pottery was historically the most prevalent type of pottery in ancient, medieval, Middle Eastern, and European cultures, and it remains one of the most popular today.
Using a combination of china clay (petuntse) and china stone (kaolin), the potter can create porcelain. Porcelain is classified into three types – hard-paste, soft-paste, and bone china. Hard-paste is a ceramic material initially manufactured by firing petuntse and kaolin at extremely high temperatures, typically over 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit.
Potters create soft-paste by combining white clay and “frit,” a glassy substance composed of white sand, gypsum, soda, salt, alum, and nitre. After fusing the white clay and frit with lime and chalk, the mixture is fired at temperatures lower than 2,500 degrees.
The term “bone china” refers to porcelain manufactured from bone ash, feldspathic material, and kaolin. Bone china has a translucent body and contains at least 30 percent phosphate derived from animal bone and calcium phosphate.
Although made of clay, stoneware pottery is fired at a higher temperature than earthenware. The temperature is sufficiently high to vitrify the materials and render the pottery impenetrable to liquids, even when unglazed. Because stoneware does not absorb water, the potter is not required to add a glaze.
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