Slipware from Tykocin Castle (Poland) from the 16th–18th Century

Magdalena Bis

doi:10.23858/apa59.2021.2843

Abstract

The main goal of this article is to analyse post-medieval slipware found during archaeological excavations in Tykocin Castle and to describe its distinguishing features: decorative characteristics and forms. Further considerations are aimed at reconstructing the functions of the Tykocin slipware vessels in the castle household throughout the 16th to 18th centuries and attempting to determine their provenance. The analysis is preceded by the list of terminological problems pertaining to this pottery group in the Polish literature as well as elementary information on its production centres in Poland against the European background.

Highlights

Magdalena BisaThe main goal of this article is to analyse post-medieval slipware found during archaeological excavations in Tykocin Castle and to describe its distinguishing features: decorative characteristics and forms
Pottery studies constitute an integral and constant aspect of archaeological research, since pottery is one of the most elementary archaeological sources, usually well-preserved and often found in large quantities, shedding light on everyday life in the past. This holds true for the post-medieval period and the developments in pottery-making on the European continent that occurred throughout the 16th–18th centuries, which were predominantly manifested in the introduction of innovations unknown in the late Middle Ages: an extended assortment of forms and the differentiation of types of the produced vessels
These vessels were used by the residents of Tykocin Castle in the modern era and after destruction were deposited at the site in cultural layers dated to the period between the second half of the 16th and second half of the 18th centuries