The History of Ceramics

How did Bernard Leach turn a small pottery in St Ives into the centre of a new ceramics movement?

In the second episode of our three-part series, we follow Leach as he returns to Britain with Shōji Hamada and establishes the Leach Pottery in St Ives. We explore the challenges of those early years, the development of his distinctive approach to making, and the ideas that would eventually be captured in his influential A Potter’s Book.

As Leach’s reputation grows, so does his influence. Through teaching, writing and a new generation of appre...

How did an English artist in Japan become one of the most influential figures in modern ceramics?

In the first of our three-part series on Bernard Leach, we explore the extraordinary early years that shaped his life and work. From his return to Japan and his first encounters with pottery to his friendship with Shōji Hamada, we discover how Japanese culture transformed Leach's understanding of what a pot could be.

This is the story of the meeting of East and West — and how the ideas Leach discovered in Japan would eventually help change the cou...

In 16th century Japan, a bowl of tea could get you killed. This episode traces the birth of the Ancient Japanese tea ceremony and the aesthetic of wabi-sabi, or the art of finding beauty in imperfection. Paul and Stephanie tell the story of tea master Sen no Rikyu, whose humble, handmade Raku bowls stood in defiance of warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi's golden excess, in a tale of philosophy, political power, and two tea masters who paid for their art with their lives.

To see the pots Stephanie and Paul are discussing in this episode, be sure to switch...

Bernard Palissy was an artist, scientist, inventor and one of the most extraordinary figures in the history of ceramics. Driven by religious faith, a fascination with nature, and an obsession to discover the secret of white enamel, he devoted years to relentless experimentation, sacrificing his fortune, and burning almost everything he owned in pursuit of perfection. In this episode Paul Greenhalgh and Stephanie Rozene uncover the remarkable life of the French Renaissance potter whose distinctive rustic wares transformed European ceramics. 

Featured Artworks:

Self Portrait in Faience, Bernard Palissy, 1862 
Rustique figuline, attributed to Bernard Palissy, Fr...

This week Paul Greenhalgh and Stephanie Rozene explore the extraordinary ceramics of the Ming Dynasty, the period that established China as the world's greatest producer of porcelain.

From the famous blue-and-white wares of Jingdezhen to magnificent imperial commissions and the global trade that carried Chinese porcelain across Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, we uncover how Ming potters achieved levels of craftsmanship that have rarely been surpassed. We also discover how these exquisite objects became symbols of wealth, power, and cultural exchange, inspiring generations of potters around the world.

Emperor Hongwu (21 October 1328 – 24 June 1398) – Public Domain
M...

This week Paul Greenhalgh and Stephanie Rozene explore the remarkable ceramics of the Tang Dynasty, one of China's greatest periods of artistic innovation. We venture down into the depths of their magnificent tombs and discover the wonders of their funerary wares. Ceramics creations that capture life in the Imperial Court from dancers, polo players, concubines, warriors and magnificent horses. These treasures open a window into a golden period of Chinese history but also show how the Tang potters transformed the art of clay and influenced ceramic traditions around the world.

FEATURED ARTWORKS IN THIS EPISODE:<...

This week we continue the story by following the extraordinary journey of Hans Coper, a man who arrived in Britain as a refugee with no experience of pottery, yet went on to become one of the greatest ceramic artists of the modern age.

Forced to flee Nazi Germany as a teenager, Hans Coper rebuilt his life from scratch in wartime Britain. When he began working in Lucie Rie's studio, he discovered not only a new craft but an entirely new way of expressing himself. Although Rie taught him the fundamentals of working with clay, Coper soon developed...

This week on The History of Ceramics, we begin the remarkable story of two artists who transformed the course of modern ceramics. Our journey starts with the extraordinary life of Lucie Rie.

Born into the rich cultural world of Vienna, Lucie Rie was already an accomplished ceramic artist when the rise of Nazism forced her to leave everything behind. Arriving in London as a refugee in 1938, she faced the daunting challenge of rebuilding her life and career in an unfamiliar country. Yet through determination, technical brilliance, and an unmistakable artistic vision, she would become one of the...

In 1974, a group of farmers digging a well in rural China made one of the greatest archaeological discoveries in history: an underground army of thousands of life-sized terracotta warriors, standing silently in battle formation for more than two thousand years.

But why was this extraordinary army created? Who was the powerful ruler it was built to protect? And what does it reveal about the ambitions, beliefs, and astonishing technological achievements of ancient China?

In this episode of The History of Ceramics, we explore the story behind the Terracotta Army...

Paul Greenhalgh and Stephanie Rozene travel to the American South at the end the 19th C to explore the life and work of George E. Ohr - otherwise known as the Mad Potter of Biloxi. Overlooked for much of his life this eccentric character worked tirelessly creating innovative, wild and exquisitely crafted art pottery. He was a renowned showman using slogans, banners and sales gimmicks to market his wares and was the self proclaimed "world's best art-potter". His life’s work remained undiscovered gathering dust in a garage for decades before an antiques dealer happened upon them in his so...

Stephanie Rozene and curator Garth Johnson pick up the story of Funk Art and look at the life and work of artist Clayton Bailey who would go on to form the breakaway movement called Nut Art. Taking ceramics into a new realm of world making, eccentricity and humour, Bailey would inhabit an alter egos, stage pranks with the press and take the museum world on an unexpected journey.

Ceramics and artwork in this week’s episode include:

No Deposit No Return, 1961, Robert Arneson Critter Rider, 1960, Clayton Bailey

His and Hers, 1964, Robert Ar...

Join Stephanie Rozene and guest Garth Johnson as they travel back to 1967 and the West Coast of the USA where an exhibition named Funk would showcase ceramics as a provocative art form. Using humour, satire, colour and form these Funk artists critiqued the world around them and changed ceramics forever.  No longer utilitarian vessels - this was art that shocked.

Artwork in this episode:

Banded White Bottle, 1958, Robert Arneson

Spouted Footed Vase, 1959, Robert Arneson

No Deposit, No Return, 1961, Robert Arneson

Jack and John Trophy, 1964, Robert Arneson

How Art Nouveau transformed Parisian Architecture.  In this episode we travel to France to meet Hector Guimard the father of French Art Nouveau and the sweeping organic forms that came to define one of the most exciting eras in European culture.
We’ll be exploring how ceramic tiles became a  key element in the architecture at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, and we venture underground, down into the Paris Metro where to this day tiles continue to reign supreme.

Ceramics and artwork in this week’s episode include:

Hector Guimard, 1867–1942

C...

How did Wedgwood combine pottery with politics? Paul Greenhalgh is joined by Sir Tristram Hunt to discuss the life and work of potter and abolitionist Josiah Wedgwood who created one of the most famous ceramic companies in British history.

Ceramics and artwork in this week’s episode include:

Dinner Plate ‘Frog Service’, 1773, Josiah Wedgwood & Sons

Courtesy of V&A Museum

Plate ‘Frog Service’, 1773–1774, Josiah Wedgwood & Sons

Courtesy of V&A Museum

Portland Vase, 1790, Josiah Wedgwood & Sons

Courtesy of V&A Museum

Vase...

How did Wedgwood create one of the most famous ceramic companies in British history?  And what fueled his obsession with science and experimentation?  Join Paul Greenhalgh is joined by Sir Tristram Hunt to discuss 18th century England and  the life and work of potter, scientist and abolitionist in part 1 of a 2 part series on Josiah Wedgwood.

Ceramics and artwork in this week’s episode include:

Josiah Wedgwood, 1730—17

Soup Tureen with Lid (Creamware), Circa 1770—80, Josiah Wedgwood & Sons

Terrine With Lid and Saucer (Creamware), Circa 1800—15, Josiah Wedgwood & Sons

Platter (Creamware), Ci...

In this episode Paul and Stephanie discuss how Louis XV and Madame de Pompadour, and Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette's passion for porcelain created one of the most famous and revered names in the history of ceramics, Sèvres.

Ceramics and artwork in this week’s episode include:

Tureen (Japanese Kakiemon style), 1725–51, Chantilly Porcelain Manufactory

Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Tureen, 1749–50, Vincennes Porcelain Manufactory

Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Madame de Pompadour, 1756, François Boucher

Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

<...

How did an alchemist discover the recipe for porcelain? And why did his discovery ultimately drive him mad? Join Paul Greenhalgh and Stephanie Rozene as they pick up the story of Europe’s obsession with porcelain and the race to discover its secret formula. Stranger than fiction this is another great story in the history of ceramics.

Ceramics and artwork in this week’s episode include:

King Augustus II the Strong, 1670–1733

Johann Friedrich Böttger, 1682–1719

Friedrich Zorn, 1711–89

King Frederick I of Prussia, 1657–1713

Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus, 1651–1708

Plat...

How did Europe become obsessed with porcelain?  And who would win the race to discover the secret formula for this “white gold?”  In this episode Paul Greenhalgh and Stephanie Rozene travel from Marco Polo’s China to the courts and palaces of Europe, where this mysterious material bewitched all those that encountered it.    

Artworks featured in this episode:

King Louis XIV

King William III & Queen Mary II

A late 17th-century engraving of a porcelain room in the style popularised by Mary II

Co...

Why were Korean potters kidnapped and held hostage by Japanese invaders?  And how did they transform the history of Japanese ceramics?  In this episode Paul Greenhalgh and Stephanie Rozene explore the complicated relations between Korea and Japan in the 16th and 17th centuries, and show how ceramics became a major factor in the bitter conflict between the two of them during what has become known as the Ceramic Wars.

Ceramics and artwork in this week’s episode include:

Maebyeong Vase, Late 13th Century

Stoneware carving and filling with white and black slip...

How did Picasso discover pottery? And how did he transform the fortunes of an ancient town in the process?  Join Paul Greenhalgh and Stephanie Rozene to discuss Picasso’s life in the South of France just after the Second World War where he found a new and exciting creative outlet bringing together painting and sculpture and in doing so transformed the history of art.

Ceramics and artwork in this week’s episode include:

Guernica, 1937 by Pablo Picasso

Head Plate, 1957 by Pablo Picasso

"Tete au Masque" Plate, 1956 by Pablo Picasso

Who created the Mona Lisa of American Ceramics? And how was it stolen from under the noses of museum guards? In this episode Paul Greenhalgh and Stephanie Rozene travel to the American Gilded Age at the end of the 19th C to discuss the life and work of Adelaide Alsop Robineau, the pioneering potter who fought to make her own work her own way, and went on to win the top prize at the prestigious World’s Fair, putting American ceramics on the map.

Ceramics and artwork in this week’s episode include:

What was the first piece of pottery that humans ever made?  What does it reveal about our earliest ancestors?  In this episode Paul Greenhalgh and Stephanie Rozene travel back to the earliest civilisations to find out how they created the very first ceramic objects and what that meant to the story of mankind.

Ceramics and artwork in this week’s episode include:

Venus of Dolní Věstonice, 29,000—25,000 BC

Vestonicka venuse edit by Petr Novák, Wikipedia

Source - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vestonicka_venuse_edit.jpg

The History of Ceramics brings together British art historian & curator Paul Greenhalgh and U.S. maker and academic Stephanie Rozene as they reveal the most compelling and often surprising stories from this often-overlooked corner of art history.  Travelling around the world and through time, from the very first shards that shed light on early civilizations, to stories of power, political intrigue and espionage.  Famous artists, extraordinary characters, pioneers and rebels from the world of pottery, architecture and design who have all played a role in elevating ceramics to the heart of the art world but also into the homes an...