Amanda Lipps, of Common Ground Pottery, became interested in making reproduction earthenware because of her fascination with 18th century cooking. When she had the opportunity to revive her pottery skills after 25 years, she chose to produce historically correct earthenware. Amanda specializes in common redware for the hearth cook, taverware and scraffito of various shapes and styles relevant to the 1680-1830 period. Her goal is to produce pieces that would be appropriate for 18th century households, at affordable 21st century prices.

Pottery was an essential part of housekeeping throughout the American colonies. Earthenware was the cheapest and most readily available form of pottery. Unlike stoneware and porcelain, it was made from local clay and fired to temperatures that village potters could achieve. Because of its water absorbency earthenware conducts heat better than the higher fired pottery, making it possible to cook directly over the fire. It was used by all economic levels for cooking and serving food and was used for necessary household utensils such as candle holders and chamber pots.

Common household earthenware was most often made of red clay with a clear glaze, while a black or dark brown glaze was popular for taverns. Scraffito earthenware, coated with a white clay and decoratively carved so that the red clay beneath showed in fancy designs, was imported to the colonies from North Devon, England, and later produced by some American potters, particularly in Pennsylvania. You can contact Amanda by email at common.ground@frontier.com.