Sprigging is decorating pottery with small, separately moulded clay shapes, called sprigs, that are pressed from a mould and attached to the surface with slip. Classic Wedgwood jasperware is the best-known example.
What Is Sprigging?
Sprigs are made by pressing soft clay into a small mould, usually plaster or bisque, scraping it flush, and lifting out the shape. They can be leaves, flowers, faces, borders or any motif, and are often made in a contrasting clay colour so they stand out.
Attaching them works like any join: the pot should be leather hard, the back of the sprig and the pot surface slightly moistened or slipped, and the sprig pressed on gently so it doesn’t distort. Thin, even sprigs are less likely to crack off as they dry.
Wedgwood’s jasperware, with white classical figures on blue, green or black stoneware, made sprigging famous in the eighteenth century, and it remains a popular technique for adding relief decoration.
Making your own sprig moulds from a carved clay original and plaster, or from bisque-fired clay, lets you repeat a design across a whole set. Keep the clay used for sprigs the same body as the pot, or one with matching shrinkage.
This pottery glossary entry from Le Studio Art Space is general educational content. Always follow the clay, glaze and kiln makers’ data for your own materials and equipment.