Tin glaze

Tin-glazed earthenware
MFA# 00.389

Description

An opaque, white Ceramic glaze that contains Stannic oxide. Tin glazing was discovered by the Assyrians in the 9th century. As it spread from Moorish Spain (Hispano-Moresque ware) through Europe, several popular types of tin glazing were developed including Majolica in Italy, Faience in France, and Delftware in Holland.

Maiolica plate
MFA# 41.105

Synonyms and Related Terms

Bust of Louis XV
MFA# 65.2014

stanniferous glaze; glaçure stannique (Fr.); vidrado de estanho (Port.); tin-glazed earthenware; tin-enameled earthenware

Resources and Citations

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

• Robert Fournier, Illustrated Dictionary of Practical Pottery, Chilton Book Company, Radnor, PA, 1992

• Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com Comment: "tin-glazed earthenware."(Accesseed 4 Feb. 2005)

• Art and Architecture Thesaurus Online, http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabulary/aat/, J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, 2000