A beautiful Soup Tureen that will be cherished as an everyday kitchen serving container. A lovely decorative piece, as well, to add to any collection. The natural tones of the clay are a result of iron and mica naturally within the clay pit. The green-to-golden brown glaze drips are a result of the natural minerals in the applied Ash Glaze. The lighter yellow tones result from Ben III's pre-applied Yellow Matte glaze. Blended beautifully together with Ben III's pre-applied Cobalt glaze, the runs over the surface of this pots are a unique combination. Dishwasher-safe for every day use. Offering guests, family, or friends a treat or special food dish has been a long-standing tradition across many cultures that continues today. Measuring 12.75”dia. with handles x 10.5" mid-diameter x 13.75”h.
Please Note: What appear to be white spots on the surface are reflections from photo lighting.
Multi-Layered Glazes
While Ben III was in college in the 1990s, he was introduced to a spraying technique with an air-driven spray gun that some potters use to build up layers of glazes on the clay surface. With some experimenting, he was able to create a variety of finishes using accents of three or four different colors and using an ash glaze as a top coat to blend or bleach the underlying colors. Some finishes are a base of iron yellow with cobalt blue or copper green covering with orange to silver developing from the overlapping colors. Each pot is unique. As a similar process to Natural Ash Glazes, Ben III frequently places these finishes in the wood kiln to accentuate the colors as well.
Salt Glaze
Salt Glaze was first discovered by German potters in the late 14th century. Due to the high firing temperatures, stoneware clays are required. The pieces can be handled and decorated with clay slips of many different colors, or, glazed partially with Cobalt Blue Glaze. The surface may resemble the texture of an orange peel. This was an early glaze used by settlers during the 19th century in the Seagrove area. Many of the pieces Ben makes in Salt Glaze are functional, even the more decorative large-scale pots.
This piece is hand-signed by Ben Owen III with the year made (1998) and is part of our "Pots From The Past" release. A beautiful piece of North Carolina pottery history.