Agateware Pitcher

Agateware, developed in 18th-century England at potteries like those of Josiah Wedgwood, is a ceramic technique in which differently colored clays are marbled together to imitate the natural patterns of agate stone. Made by blending differently colored clays together, the combined clays are then sliced, twisted, or thrown, so the colors marble through the body before the piece is shaped and fired. In this way, the pattern runs through the material itself, rather than sitting on the surface like a decorative glaze. This French pitcher, dated around 1860, shows vertical variegated striations of earthy colors that mimic the texture of tree bark.

Year: c 1860

Material: Clay

Dimensions: Ø 10 x H 7 in