The classic porcelain painting from Meissen ranks among the most beautiful and precious of all that the porcelain art has produced. The author shows, in many colored step-by-step illustrations, how the porcelain painter can personally create decorations in the Meissen manner. Especially popular are the thirty-six flower motifs and the classic onion pattern, as well as the green grapevine decoration.

Sir Percival David made one of the finest collections of Chinese ceramics outside Asia. It includes many items of imperial quality, with beautiful examples of extremely rare Ru and guan wares as well as the famous David vases. Their inscriptions date to 1351, making them an internationally acknowledged yardstick for the dating of Chinese blue and white porcelain. Here are 50 selected highlights, all illustrated with colour photographs taken especially for this publication. The accompanying text provides details and draws out the important features of each piece. The range and scope of the collection provide the material for a stunning overview and accessible introduction to Chinese ceramic art.

"Radical and inspiring ... Yanagi's vision puts the connection between heart and hand before the transient and commercial" - Edmund de Waal The daily lives of ordinary people are replete with objects, common things used in commonplace settings. These objects are our constant companions in life. As such, writes Soetsu Yanagi, they should be made with care and built to last, treated with respect and even affection. They should be natural and simple, sturdy and safe - the aesthetic result of wholeheartedly fulfilling utilitarian needs. They should, in short, be things of beauty. In an age of feeble and ugly machine-made things, these essays call for us to deepen and transform our relationship with the objects that surround us. Inspired by the work of the simple, humble craftsmen Yanagi encountered during his lifelong travels through Japan and Korea, they are an earnest defence of modest, honest, handcrafted things - from traditional teacups to jars to cloth and paper. Objects like these exemplify the enduring appeal of simplicity and function: the beauty of everyday things.

In Courtly Mediators, Leah R. Clark investigates the exchange of a range of materials and objects, including metalware, ceramic drug jars, Chinese porcelain, and aromatics, across the early modern Italian, Mamluk, and Ottoman courts. She provides a new narrative that places Aragonese Naples at the center of an international courtly culture, where cosmopolitanism and the transcultural flourished, and in which artists, ambassadors, and luxury goods actively participated. By articulating how and why transcultural objects were exchanged, displayed, copied, and framed, she provides a new methodological framework that transforms our understanding of the Italian Renaissance court. Clark's volume provides a multi-sensorial, innovative reading of Italian Renaissance art. It demonstrates that the early modern culture of collecting was more than a humanistic enterprise associated with the European roots of the Renaissance. Rather, it was sustained by interactions with global material cultures from the Islamic world and beyond.

The ultimate illustrated guide to the sculpture parks and trails of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. This exciting guide to the sculpture parks, trails and gardens of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales is the perfect book for those who like art and the outdoors. Divided up into countries and regions, the book is informative as well as beautifully illustrated with fabulous images of sculptures by a broad array of international artists. It provides information on all the major sculpture venues of interest, featuring the best and most established, while also providing a wide range of other interesting places to visit and explore. Each feature provides directions of how to get there, along with an overview of the park or trail, and lists sculptures of particular interest and quality, while maps of each area will help you find places close by to visit. This makes it easy to see which places are suited to you depending on your preferences, level of interest and time available. This fully revised 2nd edition provides updated information and new entries for England, as well as brand new sections providing thorough coverage of Scotland, Ireland and Wales. The ideal guide for those with a passion for both nature and sculptures.

Porcelain and bone china have fascinated patrons, collectors and makers for centuries. This practical book looks at their composition, making methods and decorative techniques, as well as glazes and firing processes. It examines their different characteristics and explains how designers have worked with these clays within the ceramic industry. This new edition includes an additional chapter that introduces emerging technologies and new materials. It is a beautiful book that gives an authoritative account of these enduring materials, which ceramicists enjoy so passionately. It includes over 250 colour illustrations of instructional photos and inspiring finished pieces.

An essential book for potters and ceramicists of all abilities who are interested in creating their own glazes. This new, revised edition of Emmanuel Cooper's classic book is your complete guide to making glazes. Along with an introductory section on glaze materials; colouring, mixing and applying glazes, and information on health and safety issues, the book gives you over 400 glaze recipes - organised according to the different temperature ranges - which cover everything from opaque, matt and transparent glazes to crystalline and black iron glazes. Illustrated with coloured glaze tiles, this reference book is a must for the bookshelves of all potters whatever their level of expertise.

Fired Clay in Four Porcelain Clusters examines how energy use in the ceramics-making industry has evolved as a result of technological advancements and changing social norms and ideas in environmental conservation. Three main research themes are highlighted. First, the book examines how the evolving use of energy fuels has impacted the developmental history of the ceramics-making industry, especially with regard to productive output. The second theme focuses on energy use by networks of specialists and technicians in ceramics-making artistic clusters and how ceramicist communities in the world organize themselves institutionally to maximize resource-sharing. Third, at a cognitive level, the volume studies changes in production and design, environmental thinking, energy use, and aesthetic trends among ceramicists and consumers. The four cities or towns of Arita, Hong Kong, Jingdezhen, and Yingge are the settings for this research.

This book explores porcelain wares produced by the Reinhold Schlegelmilch Porcelain Factory [marked R. S. Prussia], of Suhl, Germany, and sold to America from 1888 through 1900. The wonderfully molded and decorated plates and platters, tea sets, pitchers, clocks, and decorative objects are described with over 760 beautiful color images. An entire chapter is devoted to the company's charming toy china sets. Displayed are wares formed from a variety of molds (including Fleur-de-Lis and Melon) and patterns (outline transfer, King George, and Coraline patterns, to name a few). Newly discovered mold patterns are included, along with a history of the company's early operations, wholesale and trade catalog pages illustrating wares exported to the United States, the manufacturer's marks employed during this early period, a bibliography, and several appendices. This book will guide all collectors of Victorian porcelain to recognize the early pieces marked R. S. Prussia.

The housewares for every purpose-including the well-known Autumn Leaf Pattern dinner wares, the stories of the salesmen who delivered them, and the history of the Jewel Tea Company that sent them forth are explored in great detail in this fascinating book. Over five hundred color and historic black & white photographs accompany the text. Among the product lines explored are Jewel Tea dining services and all the accoutrements to set the perfect table, kitchen wares and cookbooks, household products recommended to furnish the new bride's home, sales items for men only, and toys for children which may stir fond memories of your own. The chapter on unusual sales and premium items found only in collectors' homes today will delight all who are interested in this major twentieth century firm.

The Benaki Museum of Islamic Art in Athens has a substantial collection of Iznik ceramics (tableware, tiles and sherds). Although well-known to those who visit the museum, this collection has never been fully published. John Carswell first studied the objects in the 1980s and started cataloguing them with a view to publication. The project was revived and guided to fruition by the curator of the museum, Mina Moraitou. She has contributed a chapter on Antonis Benakis and the formation of the Iznik collection as well as working on the catalogue which includes 111 objects, 83 tiles and 143 sherds. All the objects are illustrated in colour, some with line drawings.

The colorful earthenwares known as Majolica are popular once again, part of the nostalgic revival of Victorian taste in interior decoration. Majolica's long history begins with Italian Renaissance tin-glazed wares; over the centuries its styles and techniques spread to France and England. With the advent of mechanization, the wares could be mass produced. Majolica became popular among the rising middle class in England, Europe, and the United States. This book presents a new analysis of Majolica set against its cultural-historical background. Hundreds of forms in dozens of patterns, especially American and British ware with a sampling of European pieces, are displayed in over 550 color photographs. The text presents new research and the examples are individually identified by style, pattern, maker, size, and date. Short histories of the manufacturers are presented as they relate to Majolica wares. The up-to-date price guide will be a valuable tool for collectors and dealers.

Only recently recognized for its many contributions to ceramics found throughout the world, the Scottish pottery industry has existed for more than two hundred years. Rather than compete with England's famed potteries to the south, Scotland focused on the export market, sending its colorful and decorative wares to America, Canada, and many parts of Southeast Asia. Widely enjoyed, these popular and affordable wares were usually not marked. Their Scottish origin, therefore, remained largely unknown and--until now--unappreciated. This book sets the record straight. Over 630 striking color photographs showcase the multi-hued dinnerware, vases, plaques, figurines, and other ceramic items that can now be rightfully attributed to the prolific Scottish potteries. Separate, descriptive chapters feature brief histories of the most important potteries, a discussion of the wares produced, listings of the pottery descriptions and patterns, plus relevant readings. Additional chapters highlight spongeware techniques, Scottish jugs, and the "Glasgow Girls"--talented pottery painters from the late nineteenth century. This invaluable resource also includes values for all items, a helpful glossary, and a detailed index.

This lively, photo-filled reference book is a delight for all interested in figural pottery. The American Bisque Pottery, operating in Williamstown, West Virginia from 1919 to 1982, and the American Pottery Company produced popular cookie jars, ashtrays, doorstops, sprinkle bottles, banks, planters, lamps and much more. Many of these items have never been pictured in any book before. With American Bisque in hand, you will be able to identify little-known pieces including airbrushed planters of yarn dolls as well as the most sought-after cookie jars.

A comprehensive survey of ceramic wares produced by the Trenton Potteries Company of Trenton, New Jersey, throughout its existence, from 1892 to 1950 is presented with particular attention to the artware lines of in the 1930s and 1940s. Over 290 vibrant color photographs illustrate these beautiful deco vases, lamps and wall pockets, and neo-classical centerpieces, candlesticks, and jardinieres. Also included are a brief history of the company, a review of its manufacturer's marks, advice for collectors, a bibliography, and an index. Current market values are included in the captions.

East Greek Pottery provides the only dedicated study of the pottery created by the Greek settlers along the western coast of Turkey between 1100 and 500 BC. The authors examine in detail significant developments in shape, material and decoration from the emergence of the protogeometric style in the eleventh century to the fifth century BC, when competition from Athenian imports forced craftsmen to use only very simple ornamentation. The twenty-three chapters offer a comprehensive style-by-style analysis of both familiar and lesser-known pottery types, including Grey ware, relief ware and archaic trade amphorae.
With full illustration, thorough referencing and authoritative interpretation of the archaeological evidence, this volume is a unique and accessible guide to an area of study which has often been neglected.

This book presents a thorough look at the multitude of fascinating and beautiful ceramic forms produced by the British potter George Jones and his firm, including majolica wares and "Abbey" blue and white transfer printed ceramics. Over 700 color photographs amply display the diverse table, tea, toilet, and ornamental ware types produced by George Jones and his manufactory from the mid-nineteenth century well into the twentieth. A detailed history recording George Jones's life as a potter, the contributions of his family members, and those of a number of artisans who designed and decorated the firm's distinctive wares provides hours of absorbing and enlightening reading as well. To help readers determine the age of their George Jones wares with accuracy, registration dates for many of the patterns and ceramic shapes are provided, along with the various manufacturer's marks and their dates of usage. Values for the wares, a detailed bibliography, and several appendices round out the book Geoffrey Godden has called "...the ultimate work on this Stoke firm."

Ceramics are an unparalleled resource for women's lives in ancient Greece, since they show a huge number of female types and activities. Yet it can be difficult to interpret the meanings of these images, especially when they seem to conflict with literary sources. This much-needed study shows that it is vital to see the vases as archaeology as well as art, since context is the key to understanding which images can stand as evidence for the real lives of women, and which should be reassessed.
Sian Lewis considers the full range of female existence in classical Greece - childhood and old age, unfree and foreign status, and the ageless woman characteristic of Athenian red-figure painting.

'In our time, Bernard Leach has done for pottery what Henry Moore has done for scuplture. This... infinitely rewarding book is an account of his pilgrimage through life.' "Times"

Bernard Leach (1887-1979) was as renowned in Japan and the East as in Europe and America, both as an artist-craftsman and as a thinker. His interpretation of the traditions of the Orient in the making of pots - and in evolving a philosophy of life - was a lodestar for many potters in the West.

"Beyond East and West," first published in 1978, is more than an autobiography. Full of sharply-etched and amusing recollections, it contains much of Leach's deeper thought and a great deal too about the practical application of his ideas. Its recurrent theme is the meeting of East and West at all levels - artistic, cultural, social, political.

Souvenir plates have long been representatives of America's history, whether commemorating special events or depicting places. Souvenir plates make attractive collectibles for several reasons, including their affordability and the fact that they come in a variety of designs and shapes. Popular Souvenir Plates has captured the versatility of the souvenir plate with examples that date from the 1880s through the present. More than 530 color photographs document plates depicting all fifty states and Canada, along with a sampling of European designs, each with its current market value. The work of American firms represented are Harker Pottery, Homer Laughlin, Kettlesprings Kilns, Edwin M. Knowles China Co., Sabin Industries, Salem China Co., Syracuse China Co., Vernon Kilns, and many others. The work of noted English potters such as Staffordshire, Adams, Jonroth, and Rowland and Marsellus are present. A chapter on foreign plates shows a variety of foreign-made souvenir ware including the beauty of "Made in Bavaria" and "Made in Germany" souvenir plates. This book and price guide is a valuable reference for anyone with an interest in souvenir plates.

East Greek Pottery provides a comprehensive survey of the pottery made by the Greek settlers along the western coast of Turkey. The various styles of decoration described cover the period from the eleventh century to the beginning of the fifth century B.C. Subsequently, competition from Athens pressed local potters into using very simple ornament. Chapters include analysis of Grey ware, relief ware and archaic East Greek containers (or trade) amphorae, a class of pottery which is now attracting attention for its contribution to the study of ancient economic history. East Greek pottery is a field that has been neglected, and much remains uncertain. Conjecture and fact have been clearly distinguished in this volume, and detailed references allow the evidence to be viewed and judged by the reader.

Presenting a study of a group of potters living in a small community in the south of Japan, this work includes a look at the problems they face in the production, marketing and aesthetic appraisal of a kind of stoneware pottery generally referred to as "mingei", or folk art. It shows how different people in an art world bring to bear different sets of values as they negotiate the meaning of "mingei" and try to decide whether a pot is "art", or mere "craft". At the same time, "Folk Art Potters of Japan" aims to reach beyond the mere study of an isolated community to trace the origins and history of "folk art" in general. By showing how a set of aesthetic ideals originating in Britain was taken to Japan, and thence back to Europe and the United States - as a result of the activities of people like William Morris, Yanagi Soetsu, Bernard Leach and Hamada Shoji - this book not only rewrites the history of contemporary western ceramics, but engages in two important discourses in contemporary anthropology: one concerned with art and aesthetics; the other with orientalism. Illustrated, and with a description of the operation of Japan's art pottery world in the afterword, "Folk Art Potters

Presenting a study of a group of potters living in a small community in the south of Japan, this work includes a look at the problems they face in the production, marketing and aesthetic appraisal of a kind of stoneware pottery generally referred to as "mingei", or folk art. It shows how different people in an art world bring to bear different sets of values as they negotiate the meaning of "mingei" and try to decide whether a pot is "art", or mere "craft". At the same time, "Folk Art Potters of Japan" aims to reach beyond the mere study of an isolated community to trace the origins and history of "folk art" in general. By showing how a set of aesthetic ideals originating in Britain was taken to Japan, and thence back to Europe and the United States - as a result of the activities of people like William Morris, Yanagi Soetsu, Bernard Leach and Hamada Shoji - this book not only rewrites the history of contemporary western ceramics, but engages in two important discourses in contemporary anthropology: one concerned with art and aesthetics; the other with orientalism. Illustrated, and with a description of the operation of Japan's art pottery world in the afterword, "Folk Art Potters

This volume covers the major stages in the history of Greek pottery production, both figured and plain, as they are understood today. It provides an up-to-date evaluation of ways of studying Greek pottery and encourages new approaches. There is a detailed analysis of the subject matter of figured scenes covering some of the main preoccupations of ancient Greece: myth, fantasy and everyday life. Furthermore, it sets the artefacts in the context of the societies that produced them, highlighting the social, art historical, mythological and economic information that can be revealed from their study. This volume also covers a hitherto neglected area: the history of the collecting of Greek pottery through the Renaissance and up to the present day. It shows how market values have gradually increased to the high prices of today and goes on to take a closer look at the enthusiasm of the collectors.