tinenglazuur

Tinenglazuur, or tin glaze, is a lead-based opaque glaze used on earthenware to produce a white ground suitable for painted decoration. The whiteness is achieved by tin oxide acting as an opacifier in a glassy glaze, yielding a smooth, glossy surface that can host bright colors applied as metal oxide pigments.

The glaze is applied to the ware and fired to fuse it to the surface. Because the glaze sits on the surface of a porous clay body, it provides a stable background for polychrome designs and helps protect the underlying ceramic.

Historically, tinenglazuur originated in the medieval Islamic world and spread to Europe, where it became central to several regional traditions. It is strongly associated with Italian maiolica (also called majolica) and with Dutch Delftware. In these traditions, artists painted designs on the white tin ground using cobalt blue, copper greens, manganese browns, and other oxides, often finishing with a second firing to fix the decoration and achieve brightness and longevity.

Safety and modern practice: Traditional tin glazes often used lead, which poses health and environmental concerns. Contemporary practice frequently employs low-lead or lead-free formulations and stricter safety controls, while many artists continue to explore the distinctive aesthetic of tin-glazed wares.

Modern use: Tinenglazuur remains valued for its historical character, bright white ground, and suitability for bold, colorful decoration, and it continues to be produced in traditional forms as well as by contemporary ceramists.