plainware
Unadorned ceramic vessels
Plainware is pottery or ceramics without decoration—no glaze, paint, or ornamentation.
The term appears most often in archaeology, where plainware sherds help date sites and identify cultures: The excavation yielded mostly plainware with a few decorated pieces.
In contemporary use, plainware describes simple, unadorned dinnerware.
Fired clay objects
- clayMoldable earth for ceramics
- terracottaFired reddish-brown ceramic
- earthenwareLow-temperature fired pottery
- stonewareDense ceramic fired hot
bisque · kiln · firing · shards · coiling · wheel-throwing · slip · vessel
Lacking decoration or ornament
- unglazedLacking vitreous coating
- unpaintedLacking applied color
- unembellishedWithout decorative additions
- simpleFree of complexity
monochrome · matte · unornamented · bare · austere · understated · unpolished · natural
Created manually, not mechanically
- hand-builtConstructed manually, not mechanically
- pinch potClay shaped by fingers
- moldedShaped by a cast
- shapedGiven a particular form
formed · artisan · traditional · indigenous · craft · technique · finishing · rim
Ceramic fragment from ruins
- potsherdFragment of earthenware
- artifactHuman-made historical object
- excavationAct of unearthing
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
typology · assemblage · midden · prehistoric · neolithic · bronze age · woodland · diagnostic
pottery
Fired clay objects
- clayMoldable earth for ceramics
- terracottaFired reddish-brown ceramic
- earthenwareLow-temperature fired pottery
stoneware · bisque · kiln · firing · shards · coiling · wheel-throwing · slip · vessel · pot
unadorned
Lacking decoration or ornament
- unglazedLacking vitreous coating
- unpaintedLacking applied color
- unembellishedWithout decorative additions
simple · monochrome · matte · unornamented · bare · austere · understated · unpolished · natural · burnished
handmade
Created manually, not mechanically
- hand-builtConstructed manually, not mechanically
- pinch potClay shaped by fingers
- moldedShaped by a cast
shaped · formed · artisan · traditional · indigenous · craft · technique · finishing · rim · base
sherd
Ceramic fragment from ruins
- potsherdFragment of earthenware
- artifactHuman-made historical object
- excavationAct of unearthing
stratigraphy · typology · assemblage · midden · prehistoric · neolithic · bronze age · woodland · diagnostic · chronology