page_title: Salt glaze pottery
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Salt glaze pottery / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Salt glazed jug 19th century
context_page_description: Salt-glaze or salt glaze pottery is pottery, usually stoneware, with a glaze of glossy, translucent and slightly orange-peel-like texture which was formed by throwing common salt into the kiln during the higher temperature part of the firing process. Sodium from the salt reacts with silica in the clay body to form a glassy coating of sodium silicate. The glaze may be colourless or may be coloured various shades of brown, blue, or purple.
context_section_description: The earliest known production of salt glazed stoneware was in the Rhineland of Germany around 1400; it was effectively the only significant innovation in pottery of the European Middle Ages. Initially, the process was used on earthenware. By the 15th century, small pottery towns of the Westerwald, including Höhr-Grenzhausen, Siegberg, Köln, and Raeren in Flanders, were producing a salt-glazed stoneware, with the Bartmann jug a typical product. In the 17th century, salt glaze gained popularity in England as well as in Colonial America. Westerwald Pottery was characterized by stamped medallions and the use of a cobalt oxide based colorant for decoration. Production of salt glaze pottery in Westerwald ceased because of environmental considerations in 1983.
  In the UK during the 17th century and 18th century, high quality salt-glazed stoneware was produced in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, London and Staffordshire. Salt glazed pottery was also popular in North America from the early 17th century until the early 19th century, indeed it was the dominant domestic pottery there during the 19th century. Whilst its manufacturer in America increased from the earliest dated production, the 1720s in Yorktown, significant amounts were always imported from Britain.
  One of the first potteries in America was on Bean Hill in Norwich, Connecticut. They manufactured yellow-brown, salt glazed earthenware. Their salt glaze technique was discovered in about 1680 by a servant. There was an earthen vessel on the fire with brine in it to cure salt pork.  While the servant was away the brine boiled over, the pot became red hot, and the sides were found to be glazed. A local potter utilized the discovery and the salt glaze technique became an established fact.
  During the 20th century, the technique was promoted for studio pottery use by Bernard Leach. In the 1950s, it was introduced into Japanese craft pottery through Leach's association with Shōji Hamada. Don Reitz introduced salt glazing into the curriculum at Alfred University in New York in 1959, and it subsequently spread to other American universities with ceramic art programs.
  Due to concerns of significant amount of air pollution resulting from the process  environmental clean air restrictions led to the demise of widespread use of salt glazing. It was last used on any large scale for the production of salt-glazed sewer-pipes, and other than limited use by some studio potters the process is obsolete, although there are reports of it still being used for sewer-pipes in India.
caption: Salt glaze jug, 19th century
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