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Strange discoloration discovered after storing antique African pot
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<p>[QUOTE="2manybooks, post: 9820489, member: 8267"]If I had not been told the story about the attic, I just would have assumed it was a "fire cloud" - not unusual in low fired earthenware like this. It looks like a type of pottery made in Mali, which is coated with a slip containing red iron oxide before firing. When there is enough oxygen in the firing, the slip stays red. If there is insufficient oxygen in some areas, the slip will be "reduced" and turn gray/black.</p><p><br /></p><p>I can only speculate that the attic became hot enough, and the air flow was restricted enough around that side of the pot ("smothered"), that the iron oxide changed color. But I admit this seems unlikely.</p><p><br /></p><p>What does the inside of the pot look like? Another possibility is that if the pot was actually used, there may be residues left inside. Under uneven conditions, these may have migrated to the surface, causing a stain.</p><p><br /></p><p>There is also the possibility that in the decades since you bought it, you might have forgotten what it actually looked like. <img src="styles/default/xenforo/smilies/wink.png" class="mceSmilie" alt=";)" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>Here is a similar example in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, with a brief explanation of how such pottery is made and by whom -</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]489173[/ATTACH]</p><p><a href="https://www.artic.edu/artworks/185654/water-container" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.artic.edu/artworks/185654/water-container" rel="nofollow">https://www.artic.edu/artworks/185654/water-container</a>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="2manybooks, post: 9820489, member: 8267"]If I had not been told the story about the attic, I just would have assumed it was a "fire cloud" - not unusual in low fired earthenware like this. It looks like a type of pottery made in Mali, which is coated with a slip containing red iron oxide before firing. When there is enough oxygen in the firing, the slip stays red. If there is insufficient oxygen in some areas, the slip will be "reduced" and turn gray/black. I can only speculate that the attic became hot enough, and the air flow was restricted enough around that side of the pot ("smothered"), that the iron oxide changed color. But I admit this seems unlikely. What does the inside of the pot look like? Another possibility is that if the pot was actually used, there may be residues left inside. Under uneven conditions, these may have migrated to the surface, causing a stain. There is also the possibility that in the decades since you bought it, you might have forgotten what it actually looked like. ;) Here is a similar example in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, with a brief explanation of how such pottery is made and by whom - [ATTACH=full]489173[/ATTACH] [URL]https://www.artic.edu/artworks/185654/water-container[/URL][/QUOTE]
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