Dish

The Museum's permanent collection includes some of the earliest known works of English slipware, an important category of English ceramics from the seventeenth through the nineteenth centuries, with examples that reflect some of the creative ways in which this decorative technique was employed. This dish dates from the very end of the eighteenth century or from the early nineteenth century, and it demonstrates the ongoing popularity of slipware decorated ceramics. The use of two colors of slip to create a design that could be quickly and easily executed ensured that slipwares were affordable, and dishes such as this were produced in large quantities judging by surviving examples.

This dish, which may have been used either for baking or serving, is decorated with two colors of slip, a term used for clay diluted with water. On this dish, the interior was covered with a cream-colored slip over which brown slip was applied in stripes. While both slips were still wet, a comb or similar utensil was used to create the subtle distortions in the brown lines that give the dish its aesthetic impact.