Glossary

An engobe is a coloured layer of clay (slip) used to decorate the underlaying body. Due to their porosity, engobes, unlike glazes, do not form a dense protective layer, so they have to be covered with a transparent glaze when using for dishes. As a rule, a glossy glaze is used, which, in contrast to a matt glaze, ensures maximum color brilliance.

 

Our engobes are a mixture of clay powder, colour stains and vitreous components, which in the unglazed state usually result in a soft surface.

 

In contrast to classic powdered clay engobes, which in the past could only be applied to leather-hard clay, our engobes can be applied to leather-hard clay as well as to dried and bisque-fired clay. For best surfaces, we recommend using it on bisqueware, then letting the engobe dry for 10 minutes before overglazing the ceramic with a transparent glaze.

 

If the engobe is used without a glaze coating (mostly for sculptural work), the intensity of the colour and the gloss increases with the firing temperature. When using the upper limit of our recommended firing range, we always recommend a test under your own conditions, as some colours can already change.