Salt Glaze Pottery - History

History

The earliest known production of stoneware was in the Rhineland of Germany around 1350. 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. 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.

The earliest known production of salt glaze pottery in Australia has been dated to 1850-1883.

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 Shoji Hamada. Don Reitz introduced salt glazing into the curriculum at Alfred University, New York in 1959, and it subsequently spread to other American universities with ceramic art programs.

Due to the 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scale for the production of salt-glazed sewer-pipes, and other than limited use by some studio potters the process is obsolete, although there are ports of it still being used for sewer-pipes in India.