Lead Glaze

A type of glaze found on European pottery and the soft-fired earthenware of the Han dynasty of China. It was probably invented by the Greeks and/or Romans by the 3rd century BC, involving either dusting the unfired vessel with galena (lead ore) or dipping it into a mixture of lead ore and water. The glaze fuses in one firing. The natural color of lead glaze has a yellowish tinge; after the 13th century copper ore was often added to give a greenish-gray effect. In China it was used for vessels and miniature ceramic sculptures in funerary deposits.

The most ubiquitous type of glaze found on medieval European pottery. The process was invented by the Romans, and involves either dusting the unfired vessel with galena (lead ore) or dipping it into a mixture of lead ore and water. Ilie glaze fuses in one firing. Lead glaze reappeared in Europe in the 9th century in the Loire valley and at Stamford in Lincolnshire; its adoption at these two places has long puzzled archaeologists. The natural colour of lead glaze has a yellowish tinge; after the 13th century copper ore was often added to give a green affect.