In 1948, Gilbert Portanier, a painter, discovered clay as a material to work with at Vallauris, the ceramics centre in the south of France. There he developed his unique style in the medium. What is so significant about his early work is his mastery of drawing on pottery. In the early years, Portanier "drew" with the brush on his pieces mainly Arcadian genre scenes inspired by Greco-Roman antiquity. On the look-out for new colour combinations, colour textures and colour compositions, however, Portanier gradually distanced himself from drawing and switched to free painting on ceramics. "Every one of his pieces belongs in a museum," thus Picasso commenting on Gilbert Portanier's "painterly ceramics". And indeed Portanier, like no other, conjures colourful, surrealist abstract-figurative paintings on the ceramics he has designed. In his pieces, the "Mediterranean delight" in representing and communicating comes into its own. The inexhaustible riches of Portanier's teeming imagination are unique in the international ceramics scene, a status that has been justly rewarded with numerous international prizes and awards and is now being showcased in this comprehensive monograph.

Saints and Spectacle examines the origins and reception of the Middle Byzantine program of mosaic decoration. This complex and colorful system of images covers the walls and vaults of churches with figures and compositions seen against a dazzling gold ground. The surviving eleventh-century churches with their wall and vault mosaics largely intact, Hosios Loukas, Nea Moni and Daphni in Greece, pose the challenge of how, when and where this complex and gloriously conceived system was created. Using an interdisciplinary approach, Connor explores the urban culture and context of church-building in Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire, during the century following the end of Iconoclasm, of around 843 to 950. The application of an innovative frame of reference, through ritual studies, helps recreate the likely scenario in which the medium of mosaics attained its highest potential, in the mosaiced Byzantine church. For mosaics were enlisted to convey a religious and political message that was too nuanced to be expressed in any other way. At a time of revival of learning and the arts, and development of ceremonial practices, the Byzantine emperor and patriarch were united in creating a solution to the problem of consolidating the Greek Orthodox Byzantine Empire. It was through promoting a vision of the unchallengeable authority residing in God and his earthly representative, the emperor. The beliefs and processional practices affirming the protective role of the saints in which the entire city participated, were critical to the reception of this vision by the populace as well as the court. Mosaics were a luxury medium that was ideally situated aesthetically to convey a message at a particularly important historical moment-a brilliant solution to a problem that was to subtly unite an empire for centuries to come. Supported by a wealth of testimony from literary sources, Saints and Spectacle brings the Middle Byzantine church to life as the witness to a compelling and fascinating drama.

In 1984 the Getty Museum acquired a collection of Italian Renaissance majolica, or tin-glazed earthenware. This volume catalogues this collection of 45 objects spanning 400 years, including a pair of 18th-century candlesticks representing mythological scenes and a tabletop with hunting scenes.

Located above the Euphrates in modern Syria, Dura-Europus was founded as a Hellenistic military settlement. It was conquered repeatedly by Parthians, Romans, and Persians; but evidence from inscriptions, graffiti, and papyri suggests that, throughout all this upheaval, the Greco-Macedonian aristocracy maintained its sway over the city's society. Susan B. Downey demonstrates how the terracotta figurines and plaques from Dura-Europus, relatively humble products, can shed light on religious beliefs and social practices in cities of mixed Greek and Semitic population. These artifacts reveal the stories of the city's people. Dura is exceptionally well preserved, due to the dry climate and to the fact that it was not re-inhabited after it fell to the Sasanian Persians in approximately C.E. 256. Approximately 300 figurines and plaques were discovered in the excavations of Dura, yet few have been published. Properly determining the uses of artifacts like these is difficult. The terracottas might have functioned in a religious context, as talismans, or as toys--to name only a few possibilities. This exhaustive collection meticulously catalogues the Dura finds, offering the first complete listing of the terracottas and plaques. Combined with Downey's insightful analyses, the catalogue represents a monumental contribution to our knowledge of the lives and activities of the inhabitants of this important antique center of multiculturalism. This book will prove an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the social history and religious life of Dura-Europus. Archaeologists, art historians, and general classicists alike will find it valuable. Susan B. Downey is Professor of Art History, University of California, Los Angeles.

A feast for the eyes, this inspiring gallery of beautiful and remarkable ceramic pieces includes work from a broad range of exceptional contemporary ceramic artists, each of whom offers an inside look at their glazing process, including their special recipes and the techniques for using them. The book is organized by temperature range, with special firing techniques for salt and wood, and sub-categorized by method of application, so the potter can easily find work that relates to his or her own practice, or simply discover other creative approaches. With a section that focuses on the conceptual aspects of glaze as colour and how to harness colour in your work, a technical how-to section, and a detailed glossary, this book brings together a vast range of skills, techniques and technical data in one volume to provide an essential resource for all ceramicists, whether student or professional.

Thilo Westermann is known for his reverse glass paintings, unique prints, and photomontages. The catalogue accompanies the exhibition of the same name at the Vitromusee Romont and presents the artist's work, from the manual processing of picture motifs on the reverse side of glass plates to the migration of forms in his photomontages. In addition to a wide range of color illustrations, the publication brings together contributions by internationally renowned art historians. Thilo Westermann est connu pour ses peintures sous verre, ses tirages uniques et ses photomontages. Le catalogue, qui accompagne l'exposition du meme nom presentee au Vitromusee Romont, introduit a l'oeuvre de l'artiste, des motifs filigranes graves a la main au dos de la plaque de verre a la migration des formes dans les photomontages. Richement illustre, l'ouvrage rassemble les contributions d'historien*ne*s de l'art de renommee internationale. With contribution by | Avec des contributions de Xavier Salmon (Musee du Louvre Paris), Martin Thierer (Munich), Hans Dickel (Friedrich-Alexander-Universitat Erlangen), Christopher L. Maxwell (Art Institute of Chicago), Magali Nachtergael (Universite Bordeaux Montaigne), Shao-Lan Hertel (Tsinghua University Art Museum Beijing)

Corinthian Conventionalizing pottery is a fine ware produced during the 6th, 5th, and 4th centuries B.C. While Athenian workshops produced black- and red-figured vases, their Corinthian counterparts were decorating vases predominantly with black and red bands, patterns, and floral motifs. This book provides a full and comprehensive study of Corinthian Conventionalizing pottery found during the American School's excavations at ancient Corinth. Through the examination of contextual information, shape development, and changes in the style of painting, a chronology of the vases is proposed. This is followed by a discussion of painters, workshops, and groups. Evidence for systematic export is also presented.

VINTAGE MASON JARS, MODERN STYLE Packed with dozens of easy do-it yourself projects, this book shows how to transform the forever fashionable Mason jar into everything from a festive party decoration or fun children's toy to an elegant wedding favor or useful home decoration, including: * Cake Stand * Calligraphy Drink Glasses * Holiday Candelabra * Terrarium * Night Light * Piggy Bank * Clock * Herb Garden * Animal Hooks With helpful instructions and over 150 step-by-step photos, Mason Jar Crafts will have you fashioning inexpensive and stylish projects in no time.

This work looks at ceramic contexts from Late Antiquity to Early Middle Ages (350-700), in rural settlements of Salamanca (Spain). It explores a whole series of ceramic contexts from six sites excavated in recent years, in the territory of Northern Lusitania (nowadays the province of Salamanca, Spain), covering the period between the end of the 4th century and the beginning of the 8th. The chronological frame of reference for the stratigraphy has been established by information provided by coins and radiocarbon dates. The pottery of this period in the central Iberian Peninsula has remained little known, and this present study relating to its classification and chronology represents a significant development, providing initially a common terminology to designate the diverse pottery productions, usually considered as local ware.

The banded agate bowl known as the Tazza Farnese is one of the most famous and admired objects from classical antiquity. That it has survived at all is a miracle. In this, the first book-length account of the "life" of this renowned masterpiece, art historian Marina Belozerskaya takes readers on a fascinating trip through history that spans two millennia and journeys from the court of Cleopatra to the sack of Constantinople in the Fourth Crusade, from Samarqand of Tamerlane to Renaissance Florence under Lorenzo de' Medici, from Baroque Rome to Enlightenment Naples. Along the way, the reader encounters the illustrious as well as the shady figures who have come into contact with this prized artifact, from emperors and conquerors, popes and princes, and artists like Botticelli and Raphael, to forgers, thieves, and a disgruntled museum guard who nearly destroyed the Tazza for all posterity. Through the prism of this most precious bowl, Medusa's Gaze brings history vividly and intimately to life.

This essential reference work provides a detailed study of Frederick Carder, his contributions to the Steuben Glass Works, and the captivating works of art he produced in glass. To dazzle and delight the reader, there are over 760 photographs and 450 line drawings, the vast majority of which provide illustration for 800 pieces of Steuben glass from the famous Rockwell collections. Reference material and photographs never before in print are provided. The text evaluates Carder and the Steuben Glass Works that he cofounded in 1903 in a critical light. It reviews Carder's lengthy and productive career, analyzes his changing role within the company, and places Carder's artistic contributions within the matrix of the international decorative arts industries of his time. A section valuable to all collectors is one in which many aspects of identification and evaluation are covered--signatures, relative rarity, and dating.

For over a thousand years stories of Christian belief and great moments in British history have filled the windows of our cathedrals and parish churches. The glow of painted and stained glass, its radiant colours and vivid pictures, has inspired generations of audiences and artists.
This beautifully illustrated book traces the development of a unique art from its earliest beginnings in Anglo-Saxon England to the present day. It includes fascinating descriptions of medieval and renaissance glass, the religious upheavals of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries which saw thousands of windows destroyed, the rebirth of the craft in Georgian and Victorian Britain, and the pioneering of exciting new styles and techniques by modern artists.
Explanations of how stained glass windows are made, the secrets of medieval glaziers, the subjects that can be seen and where the best examples from the seventh to twenty-first centuries can be found add to its pleasures.