Salt glaze is a glaze produced by throwing common salt into a kiln at the height of firing. The salt vaporises, and the sodium combines with silica in the clay body to form a thin, glassy coating with a characteristic slightly pitted surface, often compared to orange peel. It is used almost exclusively on stoneware.
The technique was developed in the Rhineland of Germany in the late medieval period, and potteries at centres such as Siegburg, Raeren, Frechen and the Westerwald produced jugs, tankards and bearded bottles that were exported widely, including to England. English salt-glazed stoneware was established in the later seventeenth century, notably by John Dwight at Fulham, and in the eighteenth century Staffordshire potters produced refined white salt-glazed stoneware for teawares and tableware. Brown salt-glazed stoneware was made in London, Nottingham and Derbyshire for bottles, jars and tavern mugs. In the Victorian period, Doulton at Lambeth and the Martin Brothers elevated salt glaze to an art form. Collectors look for good glaze texture, crisp moulding and decoration, and makers' marks, while chips, cracks and kiln faults affect value. Salt-glazed wares bring a sturdy, tactile quality to kitchens and dressers, and suit both country and contemporary interiors.
