SPRIGGED-ON Technique: Sprigged-on is a way to refer to a relatively small decoration that has been created in a small mold press and then attached to a piece to be used in a decorative or functional manner – the handle on a lid, on a cup, or pitcher. After being removed from the mold it was attached using slip as a “glue” to the body of another piece. The clay used to make the sprigged piece had to be compatible with the base so that when they were fired they would shrink at the same rate and not crack. Sprigged-on ornaments were usually decorative AND functional and added an element of surprise and maybe even whimsy or, even though despite their elegance, were just purely functional, like the handles to so many pieces. Sprigged-on items are plentiful in the Nippon world.

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