Made of porous clay fired at low heat.
Pottery made of porous clay and fired at relatively low temperatures of up to 1,200ş C/2,200ş F. It does not vitrify but remains porous, unless glazed. Earthenware may be unglazed (flowerpots, wine-coolers) or glazed (most tableware); the glaze and body characteristically form quite separate layers).
The most ancient pottery was fired earthenware (terracotta), which is known to date back to the Mesolithic period in N Europe and E Africa. Today, pots fired in the traditional method for local use in parts of South America, Indonesia, Africa, and the Indian subcontinent are sometimes burnished to a smooth finish, which strengthens them. They often have an attractively uneven distribution of shades due to different rates of oxidization in the low temperature of an open fire (about 600şC/1,000şF); kiln-fired pots (fired at 1,000–1,200şC/1,832–2,200şF) are more evenly colored and matt. + prikaži više