Burnished Pot, 1993

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Duncan Ross
Born India, 1943

Burnished Pot, 1993
Smoke fired red earthenware

Purchased from the potter with support from the National Fund for Acquisitions, 1994
Museum number 1995-263

"I use only clay and smoke. Everything comes from that."
Sounds easy, but this pot is a complicated technical masterpiece. The surface is scored then rubbed with layers of red clay slip, called terra-sigillata. The pot is packed with sawdust and fired upside down. The smoke produced creates the burnished effect on the smooth earthenware clay.