ped or trailed upon the
ware from the spout (or quill) of a slip cup, somewhat in the manner a
baker decorates a cake with icing; or it may have been painted over a
large area or placed on in molded pads. Although most of the
slip-decorated-ware found at Jamestown was made in England, there is
some evidence that a few vessels may have been manufactured in America
during the late 17th century.

English Redware with Marbled Slip Decoration.--On this type English
earthenware, which usually has a red body, the liquid slip was marbled
or combed over the surface of the vessel with a toothed instrument of
wire or leather to produce the effect of paper-marbling. Some in the
Jamestown collection appear to have been made as early as 1625.

Italian Maiolica.--Maiolica is a word derived from a type of pottery
made on the Spanish island of Mallorca. The 17th-century Italian
maiolica-ware found at Jamestown is a red-body earthenware with
scratched or incised designs--a true sgraffito-ware. Somewhat similar in
appearance to the English sgraffito-ware, the desired design was
scratched through the cream-colored slip, revealing the reddish-brown
body beneath. On many examples, colorful lines were hand painted over or
near the incised designs, usually in reds, yellows, and greens, and were
covered with a transparent lead glaze.

[Illustration: ENGLISH REDWARE WITH MARBLED SLIP DECORATION, 1625-50
PERIOD OR EARLIER, UNEARTHED AT JAMESTOWN.]

[Illustration: LATE 17TH-CENTURY ITALIAN MAIOLICA BOWLS EXCAVATED AT
JAMESTOWN.]

[Illustration: A FEW EXAMPLES OF ENGLISH DELFTWARE IN THE JAMESTOWN
COLLECTION.]

[Illustration]

Delftware.--This is a soft pottery covered with an opaque white tin
glaze, and decorated with hand-painted designs, usually in blues and
purples. A few specimens excavated are embellished with pleasing
patterns in polychrome colors. Most of the delftware unearthed at
Jamestown was made in England (Lambeth, Southwark, and Bristol),
although a few examples were imported from Holland.

Spanish Maiolica.--This maiolica is a tin-glazed earthenware with a soft
body usually buff in color and porous in texture. The colorful
decorations were hand painted on the absorbent surface--usually in
greens, blues, yellows, and reddish-browns, against a white background.
Some small Spanish jugs in the collection bear very crude dark-red
floral designs painted against a cream-colored background. A few
examples of maiolica found at Jam