A selection of ceramics through the ages (5 second delay) Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology The Collections:
PotWeb: Ceramics online
@ the Ashmolean Museum
Early Europe & Near East
Classical to Medieval
Europe from 1500
Oriental & Islamic

2000 years of pottery forms and shapes
Highly decorated 13th -14th centuries

Brill/Boarstall ware Brill/Boarstall ware;  identifier pw135d Brill waster;  identifier pw17d Brill/Boarstall ware;  identifier pw44d Brill/Boarstall ware;  identifier pw131d  
Rounded jar Rounded jar Wide carinated bowl Rounded jar
Brill/Boarstall ware Brill/Boarstall ware;  identifier pw117d Brill/Boarstall ware;  identifier pw08d Brill/Boarstall ware;  identifier pw12d Brill/Boarstall ware;  identifier pw13d Brill/Boarstall ware;  identifier pw14d
Baluster jug Baluster jugs Triple-decker jug Puzzle jug Biconical jug
Brill/Boarstall ware Brill/Boarstall ware; identifier pw130d Brill/Boarstall ware; identifier pw126d Brill/Boarstall ware; identifier pw115d Brill/Boarstall ware; identifier pw81d  
Shouldered jug Rounded jug Conical jug Pear-shaped jug  

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During the highly decorated period, jars included some examples with handles and some fine-walled vessels. Jugs predominated and were used for decanting wine or ale. Ceramic vessels began to copy metal prototypes: such an example is the aquamanile. Shelled lamps and skillets (frying pans) (not illustrated) were new innovations. The wide variety of jugs were often well decorated and many displayed a good sense of spatial design. White slip was sometimes found to cover the entire vessel and then concealed with green or mottled green glaze. These colours gradually became more evident than the clear glazes associated with the Early medieval period. Plastic decoration was very popular during the second half of the thirteenth century, but face masks were amongst the less usual styles of decoration.
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