Slip painting

Slip painting is a technique for painting ceramic products in which a different coloured, viscous clay suspension (slip) is applied with a brush to a moulded, leather-hard but not yet fired earthenware. This is a common decoration technique for earthenware. If this slip is applied with a painting horn or similar device, it is referred to as painting horn decoration.

In an archaeological context, the term barbotine technique is also used for slip painting. This term is particularly common in Minoan pottery of the Kamares style and in Attic vase painting of the 4th century BC, where it is widespread in so-called black varnish pottery. However, barbotine-decorated vessels are primarily known from the Roman period. The technique was used on a variety of different types of wares. Barbotine decoration can be found on terra sigillata, Belgian ware as well as on so-called Wetterau ware. Black-engobed beakers with black (so-called "hunting beakers") or white overlays, the so-called "Trier saying beakers", are also prominent.

The National Museum of Hanoi (Vietnam) contains finds of engobed barbotine that are said to be far older than the first Roman finds from the 4th century BC. The picture above shows barbotine from an era that is said to be around 2,000 years older.