Slips, Engobes and Terra Sigillatas - Alfred's Clay Store

Terra sigillata• From Latin – “sealed earth”–1 st century B.C. (spread by the Roman empire)• Historically used to seal a porous clay– Also used in drain tiles to make them waterproof• Usually applied to leatherhard-dry clay• A true slip – Contain just clay• Made of extremely fine particles (approaching colloidalsizes)– Much finer than regular slips• Much more opaque than regular slips– Consequently requires a much thinner coating than regular slips