First, I fail to see how the term tin-enameled can be construed as
un-scientific, whatever that is. Secondly, it is not as if this term has
just been "added" to the field.  Over a century ago Edwin A. Barber
(1907) wrote a book entitled "Tin Enameled Pottery: Majolica, Delft, and
other Stanniferous Faience," Pennsylvania Museum and School of
Industrial Art, Philadelphia.  Now, it may well be that Barber was just
as technically incorrect as others who use the term, but to suggest that
those who have used the term are "bedeviled by a lack of technical
understanding" and have simply applied the term because they are
confused by its similarity to "modern enamel paints" seems to be taking
it too far.  Barber, after all, wrote several volumes on ceramics and
was Honorary Curator of the Department of American Pottery and Porcelain
at the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art.  I am all for
terminological consistency (I always cringe when I see the term kaolin
pipes) and since, as George noted, the goal of the French Colonial
Pottery Conference was to foster further discussions of classifying
French colonial pottery, perhaps this thread can add to these
discussions and point the way toward better technical understanding and
terminological consistency.

 

Rob

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Rob Mann, Ph.D.

Southeast Regional Archaeologist

Museum of Natural Science

119 Foster Hall

Louisiana State University

Baton Rouge, LA 70803

225.578.6739

[log in to unmask]

-----Original Message-----
From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of paul
courtney
Sent: Tuesday, August 05, 2008 11:25 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Enamels

 

Tin-lead glaze would be more accurate but the use of enamel is just 

adding another confusing and un-scientific term to a field already 

bedevilled by lack of technical understanding - on analogy to modern 

enamel paints which look nothing like tin-lead glazes anyway. Enamelling


is best kept to enamelled metalwares by archaeologists. As Mary pointed 

out the tin is merely an opacifier in a lead glaze but many glazes are 

opaque. Must try and get the conference book.

 

paul courtney

Leicester

UK