reducing firing

This is known as a reducing firing, and it converts the red of the clay, due to the presence of iron oxide, to the typical bucchero colours. Although opinions vary about the precise times at which certain features of bucchero appeared, there is a scholarly consensus about the overall development…

In a reducing atmosphere (i.e., one where a limited supply of air causes the presence of carbon monoxide) the iron gives a colour varying from gray to black, although a dark colour may also occur as a result of the action of smoke. Both of the colours…