WINNER OF THE AMERICAN CERAMIC CIRCLE AWARD 2021 A fascinating exploration of the inspiration behind, and development of, classically inspired sculpture and other ornamental wares in black basalt, the famous stoneware perfected by Josiah Wedgwood in 1768. Wedgwood, with prescience, said of his new creation: 'Black is Sterling and will last forever.' This volume presents approximately 120 examples of ornamental black basalt, including portrait busts, statues, and vases, ewers, and other fully three-dimensional, ornamental forms. Works in low relief include tablets, plaques, medallions, and cameos. The volume also features essays by renowned subject specialists and individual, fully illustrated catalogue entries which will be grouped into three chapters and organized according to the era-Classical Antiquity, 16th- and 17th-Centuries, 18th Century-of the design sources used by Wedgwood and his contemporaries to create their basalt wares.

"ROMAN AND LATE ANTIQUE MEDITERRANEAN POTTERY". In November 2008, an ICREA/ESF Exploratory Workshop on the subject of late Roman fine wares was held in Barcelona, the main aim being the clarification of problems regarding the typology and chronology of the three principal table wares found in Mediterranean contexts (African Red Slip Ware, Late Roman C and Late Roman D). The discussion highlighted the need to undertake a similar approach for other ceramic classes across the Mediterranean provinces. In addition, it was perceived that ceramic studies are often dispersed and in such a variety of publications that it is difficult to follow progress in this vast field. Therefore, a series devoted to Roman and late Antique pottery in the Mediterranean was proposed to serve as a reference point for all potential authors devoted to pottery studies on a pan-Mediterranean basis. The creation of such a series would not only serve as a means of publishing the results of the ICREA/ESF workshop but also as a network for publication of in-depth monographs devoted to archaeological ceramics of the Mediterranean in the Roman and late Antique periods. With this first volume on ceramic assemblages and the dating of late Roman fine wares, Archaeopress launch this new series devoted to the publication of ceramics in the Roman Mediterranean and outlying territories from the late Republic to late Antiquity.

Why are people still handmaking utilitarian pottery in the 21st century? Doesn't industrial production take care of all our storage and cooking and serving needs? Yet, in all corners of the US, pottery is being discovered, studied, developed, produced, sold, collected, used, displayed, preserved, and passed down. Answers to these questions are vividly realized in the words of potters themselves-funny, philosophical, intense, and inspiring life narratives captured by Janet Koplos, an award-winning art critic who has followed American studio ceramics for the last four decades. The depth and breadth of this book are unprecedented in American craft history. Fifty individuals or pairs of potters offer their experiences, their thoughts, and their lessons learned. When art is at home in the kitchen, dining room, or living room, as is the case with functional pottery, the impact on our lives can be profound.