Loaf dish

Lead-glazed earthenware, known today as “redware,” was produced in America from the early 1600s well into the 19th century. Pressed into molds rather than thrown on a potter’s wheel, redware vessels were made from porous clay. Fired at relatively low temperatures, they required glazing to render them watertight. Decorative designs or inscriptions such as those seen on this plate were applied in yellow slip, a thin watery clay, prior to firing.