Ceramic
Flambé Magic
Author John Britt investigates the appearance of mysterious crystals in the glaze slop. While conducting researching for my book, The Complete Guide to High-Fire Glazes, one copper red glaze, Jeff’s Red, always had a different fired appearance. I initially attributed this to variations in application, speed of firing and cooling, or variations in atmosphere. Several months... Read More
The Letters of Père d’Entrecolles
Being the first detailed accounts on the manufacture of Chinese porcelain to reach the Occident. Père Francois Xavier d’Entrecolles lived from 1664 to 1741. He was a Jesuit missionary who traveled to China in 1698, where he studied some of the secrets of porcelain manufacture. His letters, written in 1712 and 1722 were amongst the... Read More
Théodore Deck and the Islamic Style
Written by Frederica Todd Harlow Text courtesy Saudi Aramco World. In the mid-19th century, Europe’s artistic and fashionable circles were enthralled by a vogue for all that was Oriental. Visitors to London Galleries and Paris salon exhibitions became familiar with Middle Eastern desert and village life, with Arab, Persian and Turkish costume and decorative arts as they were... Read More
An Introduction to Danish Ceramics and Potters I
Denmark has a centuries old tradition for ceramics. Seen in proportion to the population there has been a wealth of potteries. Nearly each village had it’s own potter, a good many of which were also well known abroad in the 19th century. We begin in the 19th century on Bornholm (a small island in the... Read More
The Arts & Crafts Movement in Europe and America, 1880–1920: Design for the Modern World
On view from October 16, 2005 through January 8, 2006 at the Cleveland Museum of Art The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) welcomes the landmark exhibition The Arts & Crafts Movement in Europe and America, 1880–1920: Design for the Modern World, on view Oct. 16, 2005, to Jan. 8, 2006. This groundbreaking exhibition, organized by the Los... Read More
Larger than Life: The Terracotta Sculptures of India
Article by Ron du Bois Photos by Ron du Bois, 1980, unless otherwise stated. © Massive terracotta horses have been built by Tamil villagers in south India for thousands of years. Stephen Inglis states that “technically they are the most ambitious achievements in clay found in India and by any survey probably the largest hollow clay images... Read More
Throwing Classical Porcelain in Jingdezhen, China
by Steve Brousseau Article courtesy Ceramics Technical © The Author Jingdezhen classical porcelain is unlike any other clay. Westerners have described its properties as like throwing cottage cheese. The first porcelain of late 10th century Song Dynasty consisted of one ingredient, chinastone felspar, petunze in the local dialect. The rock was ground into a paste by water-powered hammer mills,... Read More
Michael Cardew 1901-1980
Nigerian Field Vol 66 Pt.2 Oct 2001 – Michael Cardew and the Abuja Potters by Liz Moloney The following article is courtesy of the Nigerian Field Society and the author Liz Moloney. © Nigerian Field Society. Photos by Doig Simmonds ©1959. Donations may be made to the society via UK Vice President, Joyce Lowe, emailunitedkingdominfo@nigerianfield.org. The... Read More
BINDAPUR POTTERS AS DOCUMENTED IN 1980
By Ron du Bois, Professor Emeritus, Oklahoma State University, U.S.A. Bindapur is a village of 700 potters located on the outskirts of Delhi, India’s capital city. Here are some of the nations one million seven hundred thousand potters, called kumbars. This community has more than 200 houses of potters. It is devoid of modern facilities such... Read More
Andalucia’s New Golden Pottery
Written and Photographed by Tor Eigeland Reprinted with kind permission of Saudi Aramco World and the author. Jun’s palace is called Pabellón de las Artes. And what is the connection? We’ll have to enter Jun’s Pavilion of the Arts to find out. A massive iron door slides open easily, and we enter a bright, spacious museum that, in... Read More
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