The art of ceramics, which dates to the discovery of clay as a material that can be shaped by being blended with water, has until now made a great deal of progress throughout its development history. One of these developments includes ceramic glazes. The first known ashes in history are the ash glazes discovered in the Shang dynasty, 1500 B.C. The first application of ash glazes on ceramic surfaces was performed by Chinese craftsmen. The most stunning examples, the ash glazes featured in the works located in the Shangxi region of North China named Yuangu were created by coincidence when the ashes cooked in wood-burning furnaces whirled around in the air and landed on the surface of ceramics. The ash glazes regarded as the first known ceramic glazes have started to be used in the production of ceramic glazes having become applicable in ceramic technology in time. The use of ash as a raw material has enabled the development of novel glazes. Thus, the ceramic surfaces with ash glazes have turned into durable products that have different aesthetical appearances. Ash glazes, known to be prevalently used in the USA and Japan in addition to China, are now preferred by many ceramic craftsmen due to their artistic effects. In this study, Humulus lupulus plants, also known as black medick, were first randomly picked in the Pazaryeri district of Bilecik province, and then washed and dried in an attempt to obtain artistic glazes. Glaze tests were carried out on ceramic plates and these plates are cooked in a ceramic furnace at 1160°C in order to observe the suitability of the ashes obtained by burning to be used as a glaze component in the laboratory. According to the results obtained from the tests carried out using Humulus lupulus ashes, it has been observed that the ashes are suitable to be used in artistic glazing works. The aim of the present study is to reveal that the glaze obtained using Humulus lupulus ashes can be effectively used in the industry and this will contribute to the works and literature on ceramic glazes.

Ceramic