Slip Cup
PeriodCirca 1840 - 1870
MediumRed glazed earthenware
Dimensions1.5 × 3 in. (3.8 × 7.6 cm)
ClassificationsEarthenware
Credit LineGift of Mrs. J. Amory Haskell, 1941
Object number1689
DescriptionSlip cup, of red earthenware, in overall circular shape, with rounded sides and incurving lip. At cup base, a rough spout protrudes, with three small 3/16" diameter holes. The interior of the cup is glazed with mottled reddish-brown glaze, with small splashes of glaze along top of the cup.Curatorial RemarksThis slip cup was made by an unknown potter/decorator as a slip decorating tool. Small lengths of bird quills were inserted into the holes. The vessel was then filled with clay thinned with water, or "slip," and then poured by the decorator onto the vessel - very often a plate or platter - to easily create lines and swirls.NotesAlthough neither the maker nor the user of this simple little tool is known, this slip cup is a rare and wonderfule example of rough-and-ready on-the-job made tools. Redware plates were relatively inexpensive and used as daily tableware by many households. Although considered utility ware, many potters added decoration to their products. Sometimes potters decorated their own wares, while in other potteries, decorators then took over the process once the vessel was complete. In either case, redware decoration ranged from simple to highly complex. This small slip cup allowed a decorator to add three parallel lines of contrasting color to the surface of a plate or platter. Little cups like this one were made on the spot and fired by the decorator himself, and were sometimes part of a decorator's tool kit for years.The redware plate pictured here is most likely from an unidentified pottery in Monmouth County. The plate has four parallel lines and may have been created by a similar slip cup.
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