Undecorated Pottery

About Undecorated Pottery

In the very beginning, ceramics were rough creations with no designs on them. They were purely utilitarian and, over time, their creation was made smoother. Several hundred years later, some potters felt their product was good enough to support decorations. Then came the search for pigments that would survive the firing process. The first successful pieces were black designs on white/grey clay, the black derived from organic sources and turning black through firing in an oxygen-reduction atmosphere. However, even fifteen hundred years after the first pots may have been decorated with carbon-based organic paint in the Southwest, some pueblo potters still produce undecorated polished wares.

For some, it is enough to smooth their pieces, then slip them with a finely ground mix of micaceous clay and water before firing. For others, their pots need to be polished extremely smooth, then fired to be their final color (usually red or black). The only embellishments the piece might have are organic openings, flared rims, tall necks, low shoulders, double-shoulders or triple-shoulders, all of which are built in during the coiling process.

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