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DJR Expert Guide Series, Vol. 381 — Authentication of Studio Pottery (Signatures, Glazes & Kilns)
Studio pottery—handmade ceramics produced by individual potters or small workshops—varies widely in clay bodies, glaze chemistry, firing methods, construction techniques, and signature styles. Because makers often changed signatures over decades, and because modern imitations now appear with artificial aging, accurate authentication requires a structured, scientific approach.
DJR Expert Guide Series, Vol. 381 — Authentication of Studio Pottery (Signatures, Glazes & Kilns) provides the complete professional methodology used by appraisers, ceramic historians, museums, and collectors to determine authenticity, maker attribution, kiln type, glaze behavior, and overall value.
Inside, you’ll learn how experts:
Identify authentic potter signatures, stamps, chop marks, monograms, and workshop marks
Distinguish wheel-thrown, hand-built, slab-built, and combination construction methods
Analyze clay bodies, grog content, surface texture, and firing coloration
Evaluate glaze behavior: runs, pooling, crazing, microcrystals, and natural variation
Recognize wood-fired, gas-fired, salt-fired, soda-fired, and electric-kiln signatures
Examine foot rings, trimming marks, glaze breaks, and base texture
Detect reproduction studio pottery, fantasy marks, and fraudulent signatures
Separate student work, workshop pieces, and master-level pottery
Identify regional schools and lineage influences (Leach, Hamada, California mid-century, Mingei, MacKenzie circle, etc.)
Evaluate condition issues: chips, hairlines, staining, abrasions, crazing, base wear
Detect restoration using color mismatch, texture irregularities, UV fluorescence, and epoxy reveals
Assess provenance: gallery receipts, exhibition tags, studio labels, estate documentation
Determine value based on maker, rarity, glaze type, form, age, and provenance strength
Whether authenticating a mid-century American vase, a Japanese Mingei tea bowl, a British studio piece, or modern high-fire sculptural pottery, this guide provides the full ceramic-forensics workflow needed to evaluate studio pottery with confidence.
Digital Download — PDF • 9 Pages • Instant Access
Studio pottery—handmade ceramics produced by individual potters or small workshops—varies widely in clay bodies, glaze chemistry, firing methods, construction techniques, and signature styles. Because makers often changed signatures over decades, and because modern imitations now appear with artificial aging, accurate authentication requires a structured, scientific approach.
DJR Expert Guide Series, Vol. 381 — Authentication of Studio Pottery (Signatures, Glazes & Kilns) provides the complete professional methodology used by appraisers, ceramic historians, museums, and collectors to determine authenticity, maker attribution, kiln type, glaze behavior, and overall value.
Inside, you’ll learn how experts:
Identify authentic potter signatures, stamps, chop marks, monograms, and workshop marks
Distinguish wheel-thrown, hand-built, slab-built, and combination construction methods
Analyze clay bodies, grog content, surface texture, and firing coloration
Evaluate glaze behavior: runs, pooling, crazing, microcrystals, and natural variation
Recognize wood-fired, gas-fired, salt-fired, soda-fired, and electric-kiln signatures
Examine foot rings, trimming marks, glaze breaks, and base texture
Detect reproduction studio pottery, fantasy marks, and fraudulent signatures
Separate student work, workshop pieces, and master-level pottery
Identify regional schools and lineage influences (Leach, Hamada, California mid-century, Mingei, MacKenzie circle, etc.)
Evaluate condition issues: chips, hairlines, staining, abrasions, crazing, base wear
Detect restoration using color mismatch, texture irregularities, UV fluorescence, and epoxy reveals
Assess provenance: gallery receipts, exhibition tags, studio labels, estate documentation
Determine value based on maker, rarity, glaze type, form, age, and provenance strength
Whether authenticating a mid-century American vase, a Japanese Mingei tea bowl, a British studio piece, or modern high-fire sculptural pottery, this guide provides the full ceramic-forensics workflow needed to evaluate studio pottery with confidence.
Digital Download — PDF • 9 Pages • Instant Access