Early experiments in the making of Moravian ceramics in North Carolina c. 1770–1820

Abstract The Moravian community settled in North Carolina in 1753, and local ceramic production soon began in Bethabara, with the opening of the first pottery workshop in 1756. However, by 1771, the main ceramic activity had moved to Salem. This study examines the exploratory approach to raw materials that characterised the work of the first two master potters: Gottfried Aust (1722–1788), who was trained in Europe, and Rudolf Christ (1750–1833), who trained under Aust. The extremely well-documen