Copper-Glazed Lustreware Saltcellar
Dimensions5.3 × 8 cm (2 1/16 × 3 1/8 in.)
Credit LineGift of Millicent Giddens, London, Ontario, 1973
Object number1973.007.465
Label TextThis saltcellar is an example of lustreware porcelain. Lustreware consists of pottery that is finished with a metallic glaze that gives the appearance of iridescence. The shiny finish is produced by metallic oxides in the overglaze that is fired a second time, at a lower temperature in a reduction kiln. This pottery finishing technique has a rich history beginning in Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) in the early 9th-century. In 18th-century North America, lustreware was commonly used in centerpieces, since when illuminated by gaslight, the pieces shine brilliantly.
NameSaltcellar
