Slip (ceramics)

African red slip ware: moulded Mithras slaying the bull, 400 ± 50 AD.

A slip is a clay slurry used to produce pottery and other ceramic wares.[1] Liquified clay, in which there is no fixed ratio of water and clay, is called slip or clay slurry which is used either for joining leather-hard (semi-hardened) clay body (pieces of pottery) together by slipcasting with mould, glazing or decorating the pottery by painting or dipping the pottery with slip.[2] Pottery on which slip has been applied either for glazing or decoration is called slipware.

Engobe, from the French word for slip, is a related term for a liquid suspension of clays and flux, in addition to fillers and other materials. This is in contrast to slips, which are historically considered to be a liquid suspension of only clay or clays in water.[3][4]

Engobes are commonly used in the ceramic industry, typically to mask the appearance of the underlying clay body.[5] They can be sprayed onto pieces in a similar method to glaze and through the addition of coloring oxides they can achieve a wide variety of colors, though not with the same vibrancy as glazes.[6] Among artists engobes are often confused with slip, and the term is sometimes used interchangeably.[7]

  1. ^ Dictionary Of Ceramics. Arthur Dodd & David Murfin. 3rd edition. The Institute Of Minerals. 1994.
  2. ^ What is slip in pottery, thepotterywheel.com, accessed 10 July 2021.
  3. ^ Cushing, Val (1994). Cushing's Handbook (3 ed.). Val Cushing. p. 25.
  4. ^ Hopper, robin, Making Marks: Discovering the Ceramic Surface, 2004, Krause Publications Craft, ISBN 0873495047, 9780873495042, google books
  5. ^ Zamek, Jeff. "PPP: Using Decorative Engobes". Ceramic Industry. CMS, Hosting & Web Development. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  6. ^ McColm, Ian (1984). Dictionary of Ceramic Science and Engineering. New York and London: Plenum Press. p. 114.
  7. ^ Peterson, Susan and Jan, Working with Clay, 2002, Laurence King Publishing, ISBN 1856693171, 9781856693172, google books