French Country · Encyclopedia · Pottery and Earthenware
Slip-decorated plates
Plates from Soufflenheim, near Haguenau in Alsace, a small town as famous now as in the past for its pottery. Green or brown and rarely signed, the old plates decorated with slip show irregular designs and sometimes drips.
French: assiettes à l'engobe · Soufflenheim, Alsace
At a glance
- Center: Soufflenheim, near Haguenau
- Colors: green or brown grounds
- Decoration: slip (liquid clay) trailed or painted
- Marks: rarely signed
What they are
Slipware is decorated with engobe, liquid clay of a contrasting color, trailed or brushed onto the piece before glazing. The old Soufflenheim plates in the book show flowers in slip on green or brown grounds, with irregular drawing and the occasional drip.
A living tradition
Soufflenheim potters once traveled to sell their wares at markets several times a year. The town still produces pottery, so buyers should distinguish old pieces from recent production.
Collecting and displaying them
Wear on the foot rim, softened colors and slight irregularities suggest age. Old lead glazes should not be used for acidic foods.
Plates in a row on a dresser or a wall bring folk color to a dining room.
Source: Les Trésors de France: vieux métiers et objets d'autrefois (Éditions Rustica, Détours en France collection, 1995), pp. 130–135, with general background on the object. The book was published in 1995, so workshops, people and figures are described as they were then. Regional names and dates are given as the book records them; a style or a region of origin does not by itself date an individual piece.