Spongeware Ceramic Sherd (Archaeological Find)

Files

19th Century Floral Painted and Sponged Saucer

Late 19th century Miscellaneous Ceramic Sherds

Title:

Spongeware Ceramic Sherd

Subject:

Despite political independence from Britain after the revolution, the former colonies continued to rely on Britain’s exported goods, like ceramics, in the first half of the 19th century. Spongeware began to be produced in America after the 1850’s in New Jersey and East Liverpool Ohio; however, American-made sponge ware made up a very small portion of the circulating sponge ware in the New World. Spongeware was mass produced in Britain from established factories and exported in large quantities all over the world reaching its height of popularity from the 1820’s to the 1860’s. It was more economical for Americans to done their table with British spongeware and other British Ceramics in 19th century than to look for anything “American-made” on the shelf.

Sponge decoration was a technique employed for both expensive hand-painted wares and utilitarian vessels. Almost every vessel form, including table ware, tea ware, mugs, bowls, etc., are found decorated with the application of colored paint or glaze with a sponge before the application of clear glaze. The close pattern of uncut sponge decoration is commonly seen as a border design surrounding a center hand-painted design. This sponge decoration could have encircled many different motifs, like flowers, schoolhouses, or birds. While sponge ware was produced using red, yellow, pink, purple, blue, brown, and black glazes to create extraordinary designs, blue spongeware was most popular, especially within utilitarian vessels. This sherd was most likely chipped off the edge of a plate or saucer just for the piece to be replaced with another almost exactly like it.

Description:

Spongeware with blue sponge design on whiteware ceramic sherd

Source:

Hume, Ivor Noël. 1969. A Guide to Artifacts of Colonial America. New York: Knopf.

Late 19th century. Miscellaneous sherds of a various glazes and thickness. Ceramic, Sherd. Place: Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. https://library-artstor-org.ezp-prod1.hul.harvard.edu/asset/AHARVARDIG_10313850304.

"Sponge Decorated Wares." Diagnostic Artifacts in Maryland. Last modified October 26, 2015. Accessed February 24, 2022. https://www.unl.edu/rhames/courses/current/readings/AAA%20Style.pdf.

1770-1830. Sponged or Spattered pearlware. Ceramic, Sherd. Place: Florida Museum. https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/typeceramics/type/pearlware-sponged-or-spattered/.

Object Name:

Sponge Ware Ceramic Sherd

Inventory Description:

Spongeware with blue sponge design on whiteware ceramic sherd

Peabody Number:

2016.6.37

Culture/Period:

1820-1860

Intrasite:

H974 Level 1

Depth:

18-28cm

Class 1:

Ceramic

Class 2:

Sherd

Class 3:

Whiteware

Quantity:

Height (cm):

1.1

Width (cm):

0.5

Depth/Thickness (cm):

0.2

Century:

19th