Slip

Effigy figure
MFA# 1984.636

Description

Water jar
MFA# 1993.950

Roman dish
MFA# 2001.263

A thin, aqueous suspension of Clay in Water prepared to a creamy consistency. Slip was originally used as a thin, light-color coating over red clay pieces. Now slip is used for decorating pottery. It is available in many colors, such as white, black, blue, and green. Slip that contains a significant portion of non-clay material is called Engobe.

Synonyms and Related Terms

engobe (Fr., Port.); barbotine (Fr.); slip (Ned.)

Resources and Citations

• Ralph Mayer, A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques, Harper and Row Publishers, New York, 1969 (also 1945 printing)

• Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993

• Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com Comment: "slipware." Accessed 4 Feb. 2005 .