Whether it is for the purpose of wheel, slab or hand work, coiling or pinching, working with clay is incomparably enjoyable. Since time immemorial, this art form has occupied and delighted mankind, be it for the purpose of making vessels for food and drink, to commemorate the dead or service the living, or be it by way of clay tribal masks, pots for ceremonial purposes or urns for the ashes of the departed, pottery is deeply ingrained in our past.
The advent of this stimulating art form is lost in the mists of time. We know that pottery at its most basic, the forming and subsequent drying of clay which was pliable and ‘plastic’ enough to hold its shape, dates back to 29000 – 25000 BC, in what is today the Czech Republic. Actual pottery ware goes back to around 18000 BC in Southern China.
Unique Depiction of Cultures through Their Pottery
Every civilization, and every culture from all over the world has a pottery tradition, and the inherent nature of these cultures and traditions is stamped on the fat, round bellies of their pots or sculpted forms, or the tall, gaunt, sleek lines of their urns – the insignia of a time gone by. The Venus (also called Woman) of Willendorf (24000 BC) for example, appears to be representative of the fertility of the mother figure, while the Aztec models pay homage to the departed in their personification of the dead.
When one considers the properties of clay that attract children of every age, it is not hard to imagine the allure that clay must have held for our long ago ancestors. Simple shapes such as animal figurines and stylized forms were fashioned from lumps of clay, and initially, left in the sun to bake dry. From there, a natural progression from sun to fire would have transpired, making the clay even more durable.
The Clay Vessel as a Blank Canvas
From symbolic effigies, to a centrepiece in a symbolic ritual, the uses for this wondrous mud were endless for our ancestors. Magic and myth, gods and goddesses, superstition and ritual - these have all formed an integral part of human society and social interaction since the advent of communication, and sleeping deep within the lore of old, irrespective of the theme, lies the recurring allure of clay as a vessel – be a vessel to contain, or a vessel to display.
Mellissa Bushby - Mellissa Bushby is an author, illustrator and ceramicist. She studied Fine Art for four years, and her newest book release is January ...
