slip carving

design technique

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Last updated

July 13, 2026

Quick Summary

Slip carving is a pottery design technique where a thick layer of slip, a liquid clay, is applied to a ceramic piece. This slip coating is then carved away with a knife, leaving a slightly raised design in relief. This method was practiced by Islamic and Chinese potters during the Song dynasty. It is related to the sgraffito technique, where a pattern is incised through slip to reveal the underlying clay body.

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pottery
Incising, sgraffito, carving, and piercing
…to the sgraffito technique is slip carving: the clay body is covered with a thick coating of slip, which is carved out with a knife, leaving a raised design in slip (champlevé technique). Slip carving was done by Islamic and Chinese potters (Song dynasty).
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…to the sgraffito technique is slip carving: the clay body is covered with a thick coating of slip, which is carved out with a knife, leaving a raised design in slip (champlevé technique). Slip carving was done by Islamic and Chinese potters (Song dynasty).
Read More