Today's post is from guest blogger Cindy Cragg, home stylist for WILLIAMSBURG®, williamsburgmarketplace.com, the lifestyle brand of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
More than just another pretty vase, the pitcher housing this beautiful WILLIAMSBURG arrangement was inspired by fragments excavated in Williamsburg and by antiques in the Colonial Williamsburg collection. In colonial homes the pitcher was considered tableware because even though it was used for serving, smaller pitchers like this one could also double as a drinking vessel. The versatility of this type of pitcher often inspired craftsmen to embellish the pieces with floral designs, like this 18th-century version from our collections, making them more attractive on the table.
The saltglaze technique that inspired the look of this pitcher was very popular in the 18th-century. The technique was originally invented by German potters in the 15th-century, adopted by English potters in the late 17th-century, and later brought to the colonies from England by immigrant craftsmen. Saltglaze stoneware is unique because it requires only one firing. The glaze is produced by the action of common salt introduced into the kiln when the pieces are partially fired and the temperature is above 2000 degrees. The salt then combines with the silica present in the clay to form a durable glaze impervious to liquids and acids.
This salt-glaze pitcher is just as beautiful and functional today as it was in the 18th-century. A great way to add a little history to your decor and think of the conversations this arrangement might inspire!
