Is the decoration above the glaze or underneath it?
The color on a ceramic surface can occupy different layers. Underglaze decoration lies beneath the covering glaze, while overglaze decoration is added to an already glazed surface, changing the firing demands.
Questions you could explore
- Why does the order of the layers matter?
- What can those labels tell us without establishing how a particular vessel was made?
Start reading
- Victoria and Albert MuseumAn A–Z of Ceramics
The V&A’s underglaze entry explains decoration beneath the glaze.
- Getty Research Institute, Art & Architecture Thesaurusoverglaze (material), AAT ID 300252619
Getty’s Art & Architecture Thesaurus defines overglaze decoration and its position above the glazed surface.
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