Diana Mason started four years ago and is a graduate of Bennington Colleges Sculpture and Ceramics Program. She has had her own studio for 15 years and up to four years ago made only hand-built pottery. T he potters collaborate with Chief Curator, Liz Lodge and Curator of Reproductions, Maureen Richard when they need to replace broken pots or make new styles for the 1627 Pilgrim Village and Mayflower II . They review archaeological remains from 17th-century sites in England, Europe, areas along the eastern American seacoast, including Virginia, and approximately 19 historic sites in the Plymouth Colony area. There is an abundance of pottery shards dating from this period.
Ceramics survive well in most types of soil, whether arid or waterlogged.
No matter how small a shard is, it is often possible to tell the color and type of clay and if it includes sand or other grog. If it is a glazed piece, it can be analyzed for the various components of that glaze. Lead was used in almost all glazed 17th-century earthenwares. I n addition to our own collection , ceramic objects in other museums provide information about the types of pottery we reproduce at Plimoth Plantation. By examining a complete or almost complete piece of pottery, one can see different uses of a pot.