I've seen sherds of this description on mid-late 19th century rural
domestic sites, usually as a very small percentage (2% or less) of the
total ceramics collection. I have no further information on them--I
have often wondered if the ware type is associated with annular or
banded wares, perhaps some sort of development from this decorative
tradition.
D. Babson.
-----Original Message-----
From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
Alasdair Brooks
Sent: Tuesday, February 10, 2004 10:46 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Blue-bodied earthenware
I might have raised this on HISTARCH a few years ago, but if so, I don't
remember what the answer was...
Does anyone know of a reliable citable source for blue-bodied
earthenwares?
I don't mean pearlware, flow blue-decorated earthenwares, or slightly
blue-tinged white granite, but vessels where the clay itself is actually
sky-blue. Archaeologically speaking, they appear to date from the 2nd
half of the 19th century onwards, and - like whiteware - exist along all
points of a firing continuum, from more low-fired earthenwares to
materials that are essentially indistinguishable from stoneware.
I've come up with these in small quantities from sites across various
parts of the world, from Wales to Tasmania, but there doesn't appear to
be much archaeological discussion of them.
For those of you with access to Henry Kelly's 1999 book on Scottish
pottery ("Scottish Ceramics", Schiffer), there are good photographs of
the right sort of vessel on pages 108 (plate 21.2) and 110 (21.13),
where they're described as blue earthenware imitations of parian
pitchers. I also have a photograph of something similar in a book on
Welsh pottery where they're deeply unconvincingly described as an
attempt to imitate jasperware. But that's about it.
I don't really remember seeing anything similar when I was working in
the US, but since that's over 7 years ago now, my memory might be
playing tricks on me....
Any thoughts?
Alasdair Brooks
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