Covering an earthenware object with a glaze containing tin enabled it to be decorated with paints - a technique introduced to Britain from the Netherlands in the sixteenth century. Soon the potters began to imitate Chinese porcelain, then all the rage, and a number of potteries were developed with this in mind. Their output was massive, much of it being exported, and for a long period it was the mainstay of the British ceramic industry. Many eye-catching examples are to be seen in museums and private collections. But it was a fragile body, easily broken, cracked and chipped, and in the second half of the eighteenth century new, more durable materials such as creamware and porcelain began to replace it.

Table of Contents

Introduction; Manufacture and techniques; Decorative styles; Marks and inscriptions; Attribution; A note for collectors; Further reading; Places to visit

Author Biography

John Black retired in 1989 after an academic career and began to devote himself to the study and repair of ceramics. He soon specialised in tin-glazed earthenware and has lectured widely in this subject.