Anatomy of a Primitively Fired Pot

Polychrome Ware

The Clay Body used to form this pot consisted of three different clays, blended together to increase plasticity and lower the firing range.

Polychrome pottery indicates when three or more different colored clays or slips are used to decorate the pot. On this pot a white crackle slip covers the entire pot and two different red slips form triangles.

A Black Pigment made from Manganese ore and a clay binder forms the black lines.

The black spot is called a Fire Cloud and is formed by a piece of wood laying next to the pot during firing and forcing carbon to embed into the pot.

The spiral triangle is a common design motif in many prehistoric cultures.

Anasazi Black on Red Ware

This pot is a replica of an Anasazi frog pitcher/mug found near the Arizona-Utah border. The variation in the red color is determined by the firing atmosphere. The brightest reds are created in an oxygen-rich atmosphere and the duller red areas are where less oxygen reached the pot. The black pigment consists of a black rock ground to powder and mixed with ground galena.

The Anasazi are known for their Black on White pottery, in which the black was most often an organic paint that forced carbon into the pot during firing.

Firing Atmosphere

These two pots were made from the same clay. The canteen on the left was fired in a reduction atmosphere, while the mug on the right was fired in an oxidation atmosphere.