Covered Tankard

Applied to the surface of this tankard are white clay snails, shells, flowers, birds and profile busts of King William III and Queen Mary II of England (reign 1689-1702). Brass stamps used to form the ornaments have been found on the site of Dwight's pottery in Fulham, near London.Both stoneware, a non-porous clay body fired at a high temperature, and the use of salt to create a glaze originated in Germany, the dominant production center of coarse stoneware until the 17th century. The technique then spread to other countries including England where potters such as John Dwight discovered the secret of German salt-glazed stoneware. The process of spiraling together the soft brown and cream clays of the Covered Tankard was developed by Dwight to emulate marble. He eventually patented his techniques; his process for marbling clay is registered in a 1684 patent.