Slipware Plate
Svend Bayer
Late 20th Century

Description:

A terracotta plate with slipware design and lustre glaze made by UK-based Danish ceramicist, Svend Bayer. 

An ancient technique with a proud place in British studio pottery, slipware was historically conceived as an efficient and economical way to decorate pots. Inexpensive, lighter coloured clay was watered down and applied to the surface of the ceramic in either figurative or freeform patterns. 

The slip used to decorate this plate is evidently thicker in consistency. Whilst watery glazes might be used to create "feathered" patterns, this thick glaze allows the splattered design to be raised, disrupting the smooth surface of the plate. 

Beneath this raised design, the terracotta is tinged with a purple-tinted lustre, as though the plate were made from copper not clay. 

Specifications:

Diameter: 27.5cm

Height: 4.5cm