Agateware is pottery made to resemble the natural veining of agate and other banded stones, created by combining clays of different colours or by marbling coloured slips or glazes on the surface. True or solid agateware has the pattern running right through the body, while surface agate imitates the effect only on the outer layer.
The technique was particularly associated with Staffordshire potters of the eighteenth century, who produced teapots, jugs, cups, sauceboats, figures and small animal models in agateware, often in combinations of brown, cream, blue and white clays. Solid agate wares were made by layering and wedging clays of different colours, then slicing and pressing them into moulds or throwing them on the wheel, which required great skill to avoid distorting the pattern. Thomas Whieldon is one of the potters closely associated with agate and tortoiseshell effects, and Josiah Wedgwood later produced surface-decorated agate vases in imitation of hardstones. Agateware was revived by later art potteries and studio potters. Collectors value early solid agate pieces for their striking pattern, crisp moulding and good condition, as the mixed clays can be prone to cracking during firing.
