William De Morgan designed and manufactured ceramics from 1870-1907, and lifelong friendships with William Morris and Edward Burne Jones placed him at the heart of the Arts and Crafts revolution. After designing stained glass for William Morris, De Morgan set up his own pottery works. His personal vision was for intense underglaze colours and shimmering lustres to show off his designs of fabulous animal, rich florals in the Morris tradition, and flowing Persian curves. Although the pottery was not a financial success, William De Morgan has left us a unique design legacy.
De Morgan was unquestionably the art and crafts movement's most important potter. Today his work is part of some of the world's major art collection, and changes hands for very high prices. This is the only book available that looks at both the man and his works, covering his life, a brief history of the Arts & Crafts Movement, his relationship with William Morris and other Pre-Raphaelite Artists and his involvement in the Arts & Crafts Society. This title also details how these ceramics were made, and includes photographs of many rare or unknown designs, along with suggestions for further reading and suggested places to visit.

Over the last decade the narrowing of the gulf that traditionally existed between the realms of fine art and craft has resulted in a shift in perception of what ceramics can be and can mean. All areas of ceramic practice have been revitalized as a result the creative possibilities that artists, lured by the plastic and tactile qualities of clay, have brought with them into ceramics have influenced ceramists of all backgrounds. Analyzing work from the last ten years, this book covers every aspect of contemporary ceramic practice and includes work of all sizes from a few inches to large-scale installations. It is organized into five main chapters: Beyond Utility original yet functional ceramics Defining Space wheel-thrown shapes, slip-cast forms, and hand-built structures Mind the Gap sculptural work from precise and mechanical to freely modeled forms A Sense of Space installations, both site-specific and environmental The Line of Beauty collaborations between art and industry that result from advances in technology Contemporary Ceramics also includes biographies of the featured ceramists and a directory of museums and galleries.

This study determines the possible connections between the various ceramic traditions of Senegal and Gambia, with special references to identities and histories of the current populations. A meticulous analysis of the current contexts of manufacture permits a fresh look at the evolution of ceramic traditions and builds an interpretative model of technical variations applicable to former populations. In French.

This historic 1933 publication documents the important collection of Egyptian, Greek and Italian pottery assembled in the early years of what is now the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology. This collection, brought together in part for teaching purposes, contains a wide range of classic pottery types and is illustrative of the development of pottery over time in these Mediterranean cultures.

In the wealth of literature concerning Bell Beakers, the present volume is the first broad treatment of issues relating to their northeast frontier. The book has grown from papers read at the symposium Northeast Frontier of Bell Beakers held in the Institute of Prehistory, Adam Mickiewicz University, in Poznan on 26-29 May 2002. The 22 papers include: Economic continuity and political discontinuity in central Europe during the third millennium BC; Competing cosmos. On the relationships between corded ware and bell beaker mortuary practices; Bell beakers in the sequence of the cultural changes in south-western Baltic area; Bell beaker pottery in Denmark: its typology and internal chronology; Einfluesse der Glockenbecherkultur in Norddeutschland; Ein Siedlungsplatz der Glockenbecherkultur in Hamburg-Boberg?; Glockenbechereinfluesse und Regionale Gliederung Nordostdeutschlands im Spatneolithikum; Die Glockenbecherkultur in Mitteldeutschland ein Zwischenbericht; The north-eastern border of the influence of bell beakers; Reception of some bell beakers cultural patterns by corded ware societies in southeastern Baltic area; The Lubans, North Belarusian and Sagara cultures as an eastern phenomenon of an Eneolithic cultural unit; Northern and southern bell beakers in Poland; Bell beaker culture in south-eastern Poland; Archaeology of beaker settlements in Bohemia and Moravia: an outline of the current state of knowledge; Bell beaker and Unetice burial rites: continuity and change in funerary practices at the beginning of the Bronze Age; Contribution to the question of chipped stone industry of the Moravian bell beaker culture; A cemetery of the bell beaker culture in Marefy and its contribution: to the studies on the chipped stone industry of the Moravian late Eneolithic period; Glockenbecher in Ostosterreich - andere Fragen andere Antworten?; Die Glockenbecherkultur im Kontext der Kulturhistorischen Entwicklung in der Sudwestslowakei; The late phase of the bell beaker Csepel group in Hungary; Archaeobotanical remains and environment of bell-beaker Csepel-group; The northeast frontier of bell beakers - first step to outline.

This book provides a detailed analysis of the Mayan pottery from Xkipche in the Puuc area of the Yucatan peninsula, Mexico. During the 7th century, in Puuc area a regional type of Mayan culture emerged, recongazible by characteristic architectural style. So far it was impossible to date the beginnings and ends of the settlements in this area. The site of Xkipche offers clues to the dating, with almost half a million of studied pottery fragments. This is by far the largest prehispanic pottery assemblage from the whole of the northen Yucatan.

An analysis of the many types of flagons decorated with human faces that were made throughout the Roman Northwest Province from the 1st century onwards. Following comparisons with examples from prehistory, especially from the Near East, Dovener examines types region by region, including northern France, the Rhein and Mosel, Britain, the Danube as well as brief assessments of similar material from Roman North Africa and the Near East. The discussion is followed by a catalogue of vessels, many of which are illustrated.

Excavations at the punic site of Colonia de Sant Jordi in Mallorca (1978-1989) has produced a large quantity of ceramic material from across the Mediterranean. This volume provides a catalogue and some interpretation of vessel types, forms, decoration and provenance, as well as a number of conclusions about ceramic production in the Mediterranean between the 6th and 1st centuries BC.

The other ceramics found in Beaker burial contexts have the potential for telling us much about the true nature of the Beaker phenomenon. Particularly exciting is the prospect that an understanding of their context will indicate whether Beaker pottery is indicative of an invasion, or something more subtle. This exhaustive gazetteer describes over 100 French sites and establishes the distribution of different types of Beaker over France, and the different ceramic assemblages they are associated with. As a bibliographical survey, this work comes up against publications of a very uneven standard, but as a building block for future research this will be very useful.

The centaur, a hybrid being with the body of horse and a human head and torso, first appeared in the mountains of Thessaly. This was the Greek horse-breeding region and it seemed natural for the centaur to have originated there, in the heart of this exclusive heritage of the landed gentry. Centaurs belonged to the spheres of heroic mythology, with clear ties to the values of the aristocracy. This book is composed of a catalogue divided into nine chapters. Each chapter comprises catalogue entries for a number of black-figure and red-figure Attic vases. The division into chapters is based on the various types of centaurs and different conflicts, either among themselves or against a hero. In addition to the catalogue is a chapter on images and statistics. Each of these nine chapters corresponds to a section of catalogue entries and statistics, as the information refers to two examples in each section, one in black figures and another in red figures. The highlighted examples illustrate the variety of different vase types (amphorae, lekythoi, etc.) and their chronology (550-500 BC, 500-450 BC). The statistics are likewise divided into black and red figures, and various themes, such as the centaur Pholos and the banquet, or Herakles and Nessos. For each of these themes or groups of examples, a table is given showing the number of vases (amphorae, lekythoi, etc.) and their place in the chronology (550-500 BC, 500-450 BC, etc.).

The range of extraordinary effects that can be achieved in a kiln is infinite. However, the technical requirements of different firing processes and equipment can often seem intimidating, particularly for those new to ceramics, and this can limit artists' confidence to explore and experiment.In" Firing""Kilns," wood-fire potter Benedict Brierley demystifies the firing process, explaining key methods and effects in simple, straightforward language. Beginning with the basic principles, including heatwork, firing schedules and cones, the book goes on to cover the various types of kilns and kiln packing, oxidation and reduction firing, and then special firing methods such as salt, soda, wood, pit, smoke and raku. Finally, it covers common firing faults and how these can be avoided to achieve consistent, successful results."Firing""Kilns" is a comprehensive handbook for anyone new to firing their work or for established ceramicists wishing to experiment with different firing effects.

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.

Greek Vases is a discussion of the painted vases which were an ever present but understated feature of life in the Greek world between the end of the Bronze Age and the rise of Rome, and, in the modern world, an important component of museum collections since the 18th century. The book uses specific illustrated examples to explore the archaeological use of vases as chronological indicators, the use of the various shapes, their scenes of myth and everyday life and what these tell us, the way in which we think about their makers, and how they are treated today as museum objects and archaeological evidence. This is a brief, accessible introduction to the vases with school and university students in mind.

Pressure exerted by America in 1854 caused Japan to open its doors after 260 years of isolation. Wide receptiveness to everything Western was the driving force behind the modernization of Japan initiated by the Meiji government, yet it also induced a rapid rediscovery of indigenous cultural values. At early Paris and London international exhibitions, the Japanese decorative and applied arts sparked off the Western fascination with all things Japanese japonisme. In Japan, on the other hand, new technologies were eagerly adopted the government realized that increasing production for export would be an excellent means of promoting Japanese economic growth and thus enhancing Japan's status worldwide. Meiji Ceramics represents the first in-depth study of the development of Japanese export porcelain against a highly charged background of political, economic and cultural factors. Includes 180 artists's signatures. Text in English.

Lefton China has fast become one of the most desirable, sought after collectibles on the secondary market today. With a vast number of styles, series, and patterns to choose from, this authoritative volume includes new information on the history of the George Zoltan Lefton Company. It is a complete guide with descriptions, identifying markings, and current pricing, along with an expanded list of patterns not found in any other book on Lefton China. More than 690 photos document Mr. Lefton's many creations, from figurines to fine china dinnerware. This is an invaluable guide, whether you have been gathering this fine china for many years or are a new collector of Lefton.

These 100 examples, from various Neolithic cultures throughout the region known today as China, are described in this catalogue by the collector himself, focusing on their design and engineering ingenuities and their artistic merits. After a 50-year career in consumer product design, author Ronald W. Longsdorf applies the principles of that discipline to these marvellous pots. This is the only book currently available in the market for collectors who wish to study Neolithic ceramics from China from this exquisite collection. It includes lots of information and comparisons from other pieces in museums. Text in English and Chinese.

The three-volume work is dedicated to the years when the Koenigliche Porzellan-Manufaktur (Royal Porcelain Factory; KPM) operated under the name "Staatliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Berlin" (State Porcelain Factory) and thus closes a striking gap in the research. The author Tim D. Gonert presents the history of the factory in the twentieth century and provides an overview of the huge variety of forms and artistic decorations in the modern porcelain produced in Berlin based on over 2,000 compiled objects. The objects, all of which have been photographed anew, are accompanied by scholarly texts and archival photos resulting from research and work with documentary materials over many years. The volume of biographies describes the life and work of the most important designers in over sixty essays and thus rounds off this wonderful reference work for craftsmanship and design.

In addition to her life's work in ceramic art, the artist, gallerist and collector Lotte Reimers (b. 1932) has compiled a fascinating collection of applied art from other disciplines. With 132 objects, Die Sprache der Dinge (The Language of Things) presents jewellery, metal and textile design, leather- and woodwork, paper art, and one-offs in glass. The collection, which has grown over decades, reflects Lotte Reimers' own unique collecting style: aside from personal taste, quality in form and craftsmanship is an essential criterion for inclusion. The things themselves enter a polyphonic and exciting dialogue in their multiplicity and individuality. Die Sprache der Dinge is an invitation to all aficionados of applied art to enter Lotte Reimers' world of collecting. Text in German.

In this catalogue of works by Lucio Fontana, one of the greatest Italian artists of the 20th Century, you will find an impressive selection of iconic tagli and pietre paintings as well as ceramics and sculptures spanning the breadth of Fontana's career as an artist. The featured ceramics are a less well known facet of Fontana's oeuvre but a medium he continued to explore from his early days right through to the end of his life. Included in this catalogue is Concetto Spaziale (1962), the only ceramic which was exhibited in the acclaimed 1977 Guggenheim retrospective. The Lucio Fontana exhibition at the Hayward Gallery in 1999 went some way to rectifying this underrepresentation, as have other recent museum shows including the beautiful exhibition at the Musee d'Art Moderne de La Ville de Paris in 2014. This project is the result of many years' work and of the collaboration between Amedeo Porro Fine Arts and Ben Brown Fine Arts, with their in-depth knowledge of Fontana's work and close relationship with the Fondazione Fontana. Text in English and Italian.

With passion and expert insight, Frank Nievergelt compiled an impressive collection over forty-five years of more than 900 pieces of contemporary ceramics, ranging from vessels and sculptures via display pieces to monumental works. Over one hundred leading figures of the international ceramic scene from 1970 to 2015 are represented in the collection, the emphasis of which is on newer objects. In this publication, the most significant pieces of this renowned collection are presented in a selection of forty-one artists, hence impressively highlighting the unaffected beauty and diversity of contemporary ceramic art. Moreover, Nievergelt introduces the artists individually, enhanced with reflections from Anne-Claire Schumacher (curator of the Musee Ariana) and Prof. Volker Ellwanger. The catalogue documents the latest inventory of the Musee Ariana in Geneva.

During the Middle Ages decorative floor tiles were used in abbey churches, royal palaces, parish churches and the homes of wealthy citizens. Tiles were durable and hygienic and added a new decorative element to the interior. Despite their simple tools and kiln equipment, the medieval tile makers proved extremely skilful in the production of different types of tile. They ranged from variously shaped plain tiles, which were assembled into complex mosaic floors, to two-coloured inlaid tiles, and stamped-relief and line-impressed tiles, all decorated with a wealth of different patterns and designs. Many medieval tiles disappeared during nineteenth-century restorations but the designs lived on in the copies made by Victorian tile manufacturers. Throughout Britain, tiles can still be seen 'in situ' on the sites of former abbeys as well as in medieval cathedrals and parish churches, and the British Museum has an extensive and important collection.