Albany slip clay

Underglaze of Albany slip
MFA# 2012.1107

Description

A dark, fine-grain clay obtained from near Albany, New York. Albany slip contains silicon dioxide (57.6%), Aluminum oxide (14.5%), Calcium oxide (5.7 %), iron oxide (5.2%), Magnesium oxide (2.7%) and various alkalis (3.1%) (Fournier 1996). The dark brown to black clay was used by early American potter's as a black glaze for stoneware. It was often applied to the interior of salt glazed stoneware.

Synonyms and Related Terms

slip glaze

Physical and Chemical Properties

• Melting Point = 1240 C

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 Comment: composition

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