The History of Ceramics

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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 stories from this often-overlooked corner of art history.  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.  Full of revelation, insight and practical expertise, The History of Ceramics offers an alternative history to our times.

  1. 19h ago ·  Video

    Mesoamerica - Mixtec Puebla: When Pots Told Stories (Part 2)

    What if a pot could be read like a book? In the second part of their journey through Mesoamerica, Stephanie Rozene and Paul Greenhalgh travel to the great ancient city of Cholula – a bustling centre of trade, pilgrimage and cultural exchange – to explore the extraordinary ceramics of the Mixtec-Puebla tradition. Painted with gods, symbols and intricate bands of imagery, these highly prized vessels transformed clay into a sophisticated visual language that could communicate across cultures and linguistic barriers. From stories of warfare and sacrifice to sunlight, death and the worship of the gods, they reveal a world in which ceramics could be read as well as admired. Traded across vast distances, these remarkable pots offer a glimpse into the beliefs, rituals and interconnected cultures of Mesoamerica – and lead us towards the rise of the Aztec Empire. Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: Mesoamerica - Mixtec Puebla: When Pots Told Stories 00:02:36 The Great City of Cholula: A Multi-Ethnic Trading Hub 00:05:44 Writing on Clay: Vessels as Visual Language 00:08:22 High-Value Commodities: Ritual Vessels and Elite Status 00:09:57 The Codex Style: Pictorial Manuscripts on Pottery 00:11:20 Forms and Materials: Earthenware Goblets and Burnished Surfaces 00:12:52 The Iconic Principle: Symbols for Gods and Rituals 00:14:35 Sacrifice, Duality, and the Pantheon of Gods 00:17:12 Color as Communication: Orange for Light, Black for Darkness 00:18:48 The Notational Principle: Bands That Resemble Speech 00:20:58 Reading the Bands: From Solar Gods to Darkness and Death 00:23:57 Narrative-Driven Culture: Pots That Tell Stories 00:25:54 Legacy and Connection: Linking to the Aztec Empire Featured Images: Map of Mixteca-Puebla and Mesoamerica, Creative Commons Map of Cholula George Vaillant, archaeologist, ca. 1937, Creative Commons, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Clapp_Vaillant#/media/File:AMNH_staff,_1937.jpg Pyramids of the Sun, Pre-Hispanic City of Teotihuacan, Mexico, by Burkhard Mücke created by SA CC 4.0 Map of Cholula, Ttlaxcala, 1581 Pyramid of Cholula, Ca. 1813, Alexander von Humboldt Pedestal Bowl, 1300–1500 CE, Mixtec artists, The Met Collection, Public Domain Vessel with Codex-Style Scenes, Creative Commons, Mixteca-Puebla Pottery Vessel, c. 1300–1521, Codex Borgia, from the 1898 Faximilie Edition, Public Domain, Creative Commons Bowl, 1200–1400, Mixtec, Oaxaca, Mexico, National Gallery of Victoria, Public Domain Pedestal Cup from Cholula, c. 1350–1521, Public Domain, Leo Stein Collection, National Museum of the American Indian, New York. Thematic Complexes on Codex-Style Vessels from Cholula, Mixteca-Puebla, Americae, Public Domain https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Tripod Vase Polichrome Ceramic, 1300–1521 Bowl with Rattle Base, c. 900–1519, Cleveland Museum of Art, Public Domain Censer with the Complex of Powerful Lords and Deities, Mixteca-Puebla, Americae, Public Domain https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Codex, 1200–1521, Mixteca Whistle with the Maize God emerging from the Flower, 600 – 900 CE, The Met Collection, Public Domain Cholula-Style Ceramic Goblet with Skeletal Serpent and Mountain Sign, Mixteca-Puebla, 1300 – 1500 CE Rain God Mask, Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Met Collection, Public Domain Sun and Light Painted on Middle Polychrome Plate, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Polychrome Figural Vessel of Chicomecoatl, c. 1000–1500, Mixteca-Puebla Goblet with a Complex of Darkness, Ca. 1300 – 1500, Mixtec Goblet, Ca. 1000 – 1500 Polychrome Ceramic Bowl, 800–1300, Mexico, Penn Museum, Public Domain Pulque Drinking Cup, 900–1519, Cholula, Mixteca-Puebla style, Cleveland Museum of Art, Public Domain Montezuma in the Codex Mendoza, 16th century, Creative Commons, Public Domain Mixteca-Puebla Pottery Vessel, c. 1300–1521, The Met Collection, Public Domain, Credits: Hosts: Paul Greenhalgh & Stephanie Rozene Editor: Dennis Caouki Executive Producer: Emma Cahusac For more great art content visit www.heni.com or visit the Heni Talks YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@HENITalks

    Mesoamerica - Mixtec Puebla: When Pots Told Stories (Part 2)

  2. Oct 14 ·  Video

    Mesoamerica - The Maya: Gods, Myths and Ceramics (Part 1)

    Journey into the extraordinary world of the Classic Maya, where ceramics were far more than objects for everyday use; they were vessels for food, status, storytelling, ritual and belief. Stephanie Rozene and Paul Greenhalgh explore the golden age of Maya ceramics, discovering how skilled potters created sophisticated hand-built vessels without the potter’s wheel. From humble cooking pots used to prepare maize to beautifully painted polychrome vessels and prized cacao cups, ceramics offer a remarkable window into Maya life. They uncover the profound relationship between food and mythology, including the Maya creation story in which the first humans were made from corn, and explore how gods, rulers and ancient stories were painted across the surfaces of pots. They also enter the dramatic world of the Maya ball game, where sport, political power, sacrifice and the struggle between life and death became intertwined. Beautiful, complex and sometimes unsettling, these surviving ceramics allow us to glimpse a civilisation in which the everyday and the sacred were inseparable – and where a simple clay vessel could tell the story of the cosmos. Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: Mesoamerica - The Maya: Gods, Myths and Ceramics 00:00:22 Defining Mesoamerica: Geography and the Maya World 00:04:31 Hand-Built Mastery: Pottery Without the Wheel 00:07:31 Corn and Clay: The Kitchen as Sacred Space 00:14:06 The Creation Myth: Humans Made from Corn 00:17:21 Forms and Functions: The Ceramic Repertoire 00:19:11 The Sensory Feast: Vessels That Ring and Sing 00:22:23 Codex Style Pottery: Visual Narratives and Funerary Offerings 00:27:11 The Ritual Ball Game: Life, Death, and Cosmic Balance 00:27:20 The Golden Age: Classic Maya Polychrome Ceramics Map of Mesoamerica Map of Mesoamerica, Wikipedia, Public Domain Vessel Depicting a Sacrificial Ceremony for a Royal Accession, ca. 750–800 CE, Maya. Public Domain, Art Institute of Chicago Cylindrical Vessel, 6th–9th century, Maya. The The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public Domain Tripod Bird Bowl, 3rd–4th century, Maya. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Pubic Domain Death of Penthesilia, ca. 540–530 BCE.  Mayan Kitchen Fresco, Preparing Cacao, Maya. Plate with the God Chahk, 600–800 CE, Maya artist(s). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public Domain Maya Ceramic Bowl Offering of Tamales to the Gods, Creative Commons, Public Domain Jomon Pot, Late Jomon Period, 2500–1000 BCE, creative commons, public domain Olla-Shape Pottery, 21st century, earthenware, Mexico Plate with Trumpeter, 700–800 CE, Maya. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public Domain Pinchancha, 21st century, earthenware, Zacualpan, Guerrero, Mexico.  Maya Tripod Plate, Late Classic period, ca. 550–950 CE, Maya, public domain  Tripod Plate, Maya. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Pubilc Domain Model of the Various Structures that Make Up the Pyramid of Cholula.  Whistle with the Maize God Emerging from a Flower, 600–900 CE, Maya artist(s). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public Domain Mural Depicting the Maize God, Maya. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Maya_maize_god.jpg  Freshly Fired Comales Cooling, 21st century, earthenware, San Mateo Mixtepec, Mexico.  Tetrapod Bowl, 1st–4th century, Maya. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public Domain Vessel with Mythological Scene, 600–800 CE, Metropolitan Painter. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public Domain Vessel Depicting the Rain God Chahk, ca. 600–800 CE, Maya. Facsimile of the Madrid Codex. Museum of the Americas, Public Domain Lidded Vessel, 3rd–4th century, Maya. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, public domain Itzamna Seated in a Classic Period Polychrome Ceramic (Kerr 504), Maya, public domain https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:God_D_Itzam.jpg  Ixchel with Rabbit, Maya, Public Domain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_Moon_Goddess#/media/File:Goddess_O_Ixchel.jpg  Codex-Style Plate Featuring the Maize God and the Hero Twins, 680–740 CE, Maya, El Petén, Guatemala. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Public Domain Credits: Hosts: Paul Greenhalgh & Stephanie Rozene Editor: Dennis Caouki Executive Producer: Emma Cahusac For more great art content visit www.heni.com or visit the Heni Talks YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@HENITalks

    Mesoamerica - The Maya: Gods, Myths and Ceramics (Part 1)

  3. Oct 7 ·  Video

    Peter Voulkos - A Revolution in Clay (Part 2)

    In the second of two episodes, Stephanie Rozene and Paul Greenhalgh follow Peter Voulkos through the explosive years that transformed him from master potter into one of the most radical figures in modern ceramics. From the experimental studios of Otis and Berkeley to his monumental Blackwares, stacks and platters, Voulkos tears, cuts, pounds and rebuilds clay, pushing it far beyond the traditional vessel. His performances become legendary, while a generation of students go on to reshape American ceramics themselves. But behind the charismatic “wild man” lies a more complicated story of addiction, recovery and relentless creativity. Stephanie and Paul explore Voulkos’s later years and the extraordinary legacy of an artist who changed not simply how ceramics looked, but what clay could be. Featured Images: Rocking Pot, 1956, Peter Voulkos. Pot Shop, UC Berkeley, c. 1960s, Jim Melchert. Last Temptation of Ming, 2015, Ron Nagle. Blue Face with White Stripe, 1971, Stephen De Staebler. Looking at Pictures, 2016, Mary Heilmann. Installation View of “New Talent XIII”, 1960, Peter Voulkos. Peter Voulkos at Work in the Faith and Charity in Hope Gallery, 1984, Peter Voulkos. Sunset Rip, 2008, Mary Heilmann. Paul Soldner’s MFA Show, 1956, Paul Soldner, Peter Voulkos and John Mason. Arlene Schechet in the Jewish Museum, 2018, Sara Wasserman. Peter Voulkos at Work, by Stephanie Rozene Installation View of Voulkos: The Breakthrough Years, [date unknown], Butcher Walsh. Untitled Chicken Pot, 1958, Peter Voulkos. The New York Times, 2021. Little Big Horn, 1959, Peter Voulkos. ientos, 1959, Peter Voulkos. Sitting Bull, 1959, Peter Voulkos. Annon, 1959, Peter Voulkos. Photograph by E. G. Schempf, Museum of Arts and Design. Pauline Annon,  circa 1950, Estate of Pauline Anon   Peter Voulkos at Work, c. 1960s,  Pinatubo, 1994, Peter Voulkos. Ice Bucket, [date unknown], Peter Voulkos. Bronze Ice Bucket, 1986, Peter Voulkos. Iron Head, 1979, Peter Voulkos. Selfies at the V and A, Stephanie Rosine and Paul Greenhalgh Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: Peter Voulkos - A Revolution in Clay Part 2 00:00:59 Otis College and Building the Studio from Scratch 00:03:46 Industrial Scale: Dough Mixers, Modified Wheels, and Forklift Kilns 00:05:34 The Roll Call: Students Who Became Titans 00:07:26 New York Connections: MoMA and Abstract Expressionism 00:08:31 Berkeley Years: Founding a Program and Pure Theater 00:12:26 The Female Legacy: Mary Heilman and Breaking Boundaries 00:18:07 The Blackwares: Breakthrough Pieces and New Language 00:18:52 The Breakthrough Years: 15 Years of Frantic Experimentation 00:27:23 Settling Into Iconic Forms: Stacks, Ice Buckets, and Platters 00:28:06 Struggles and Redemption: The 1970s and 1980s 00:32:34 Recognition and Retrospective: The 1978 SFMOMA Show 00:34:02 Legacy: The Man Who Changed Everything Credits: Hosts: Paul Greenhalgh & Stephanie Rozene Editor: Sam Bond Executive Producer: Emma Cahusac

    Peter Voulkos - A Revolution in Clay (Part 2)

  4. Sep 30 ·  Video

    Peter Voulkos - The Man Who Broke the Rules (Part 1)

    What happens when a master potter decides to break all the rules? In the first of two episodes, Stephanie Rozene and Paul Greenhalgh explore the life and work of Peter Voulkos, the artist who helped transform American ceramics after the Second World War. From his Montana childhood and wartime service to his first encounter with clay, Voulkos begins as a brilliantly skilled traditional potter. But through teachers, fellow artists and the experimental world of 1950s America, he starts cutting, tearing and rebuilding clay in radically new ways.    By the mid-1950s, pottery was becoming sculpture and a revolution in clay was underway. To see the images from this podcast, please switch to video in your podcasting app. Featured Images: Photo of Voulkos doing pottery by Stephanie Rozene Photo Filming Voulkos at work, by Stephanie Rozene Voulkos Correcting a student, Stephanie Rozene. VOulkos nished platers on table, Stephanie Rozene Photo of John Balistreri assisting Peter Voulkos. 1990s (Creative Commons) Voulkos at Potters wheel, ca. 1956 Photo of Frances Senzka smiling Photo of Edith Heath, Date Unknown, (Wikipedia) Photograph of Maija-Grotell-1920s (Wikiedpia) Marguerite finishing a vase, ca.1950s. 1998 Center for Creative Photography, The University of Arizona Foundation Face Vessel, ca. 1970s, Marguerite Wildenhain Archie Bray and Rudy Autio photograph, ca. 1951 Photograph of Frances Senska and her pots, 1988, Linda Best photo / Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Chicken and Wine Set, 1960, Frances Senzka Ya Ba Bo jar, 1970, Frances Senzka Bottom of Ya Ba Bo jar, 1970, Frances Senzka Peter Voulkos Painting his Ceramics, ca. 1950s Ceramic National Piece, 1950, Peter Voulkos ???? Gourd Shaped Vases, Vases with Leaf, Green-Swirled Vases, 1952, Peter Voulkous Archie Bray Putting Soda in Beehive Kiln ca. 1950s Yanagi, Leach, Autio, Voulkous and Hamada at the Archie Bray Foundation Voulkos kicking the wheel for Hamada at Archie Bray Foundation, 1952 Karen Karnes, (1925-2016), Western Regional Archives, State Archives of North Carolina David Weinrib, (1924 – 2016) Robert Rauschenberg at Black Mountain College, Black Mountain, NC, United States, circa 1951. Photo: Cy Twomble M.C Richards (1914 – 1999) Wikipedia Picture Untitled Stoneware with Acrylic Paint, ca. 1953, MC Richards Collaboration with Peter Voulkos Covered Jar, 1953, Peter Voulkos Jackson Pollock at work – photograph by Hans Namuth (Wikipedia) Marguerite Wildenhaine, ca. 1962, Wikipedia page. Rocking Pot, 1956 Peter Voulkos (Smithsonian ART Museum) Peter Voulkos working, ca. 1960. Tony Prieto Tall Vase, Stoneware, 1950. The Everson Museum of Art. Photo credit Stephanie Rozene. Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: Peter Voulkos - The Man Who Broke the Rules 00:00:58 Stephanie's Personal Encounter with Voulkos at Alfred University 00:05:07 The Two Sides of Peter Voulkos: Machismo and the Dance 00:07:47 Early Life: Montana, Greek Immigrant Roots, and World War II 00:10:37 Finding Clay: Frances Senska and Montana State College 00:14:54 The Foundations of Mastery: Learning Traditional Pottery Skills 00:17:31 Early Success and the Archie Bray Foundation 00:21:09 The 1952 Leach and Hamada Tour: International Influences 00:22:09 Black Mountain College and M.C. Richards: Opening New Doors 00:32:33 New York City 1953: Abstract Expressionism and Transformation 00:39:47 Breaking with Tradition: The Rocking Pot and Radical Experimentation 00:44:59 Setting the Stage: Otis College and What's to Come Credits: Hosts: Paul Greenhalgh & Stephanie Rozene Editor: Dennis Caouki Executive Producer: Emma Cahusac

    Peter Voulkos - The Man Who Broke the Rules (Part 1)

  5. Sep 23 ·  Video

    The Ancient Greeks: From Red Figure to the Rise of Rome

    The story of Greek ceramics continues with a revolution in pottery. Around 530 BC, Athenian potters began turning the familiar world of black-figure decoration on its head, creating the extraordinary red-figure vessels that would come to define Classical Greek ceramics. Stephanie Rozene and Paul Greenhalgh explore the potters, workshops and innovations behind this transformation, and discover how ceramics became part of everyday Greek life – from wine-drinking symposia to sporting prizes and simple household wares. As Greek influence spreads across the Mediterranean, so too do its ceramic traditions, before a new power emerges: Rome. Yet conquest would not bring the story to an end. The Romans absorbed and reinvented Greek forms, ensuring their influence would survive for centuries. Please switch to video in your podcasting app, to see the pots being spoken about in this episode. Featured Artworks: Black Figure Amphore, Attributed to Group E (British Museum, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) Red Figure amphora, signed by Andokides, c.530 BCE Terracotta amphora (jar) Red Figure bell krater, Anonymous, often referred to as by the Berlin Painter, Greek, c.480 BCE, Louvre Museum. Anonymous, possibly Apulian, possibly Boeotian, 480 BCE Francois Vase, Black Figure krater, decorated by Kleitias, made by Ergotimos, Greek, 570-560 BCE, Archaeological Museum, Florence. (CC 3.0) Terracotta kyathos (cup-shaped ladle), Attributed to the Group of Berlin 2095, c. 530–500 BCE Terracotta amphora (jar), Attributed to the Orvieto Painter, c. 540 BCE Small terracotta amphora (jar), Greek, Attic, c. 800–750 BCE Terracotta neck-amphora (storage jar), Greek, Corinthian, c. 620–590 BCE Terracotta neck-amphora (jar), Attributed to the Edinburgh Painter, c. 500 BCE Terracotta neck-amphora (jar) with lid and knob (27.16), Attributed to Exekias, c. 540 BCE Terracotta lekythos (oil flask), Attributed to the Amasis Painter, c. 550–530 BCE Terracotta column-krater (bowl for mixing wine and water), Attributed to Lydos, c. 550 BCE Terracotta Nolan neck-amphora (jar), Attributed to the Ethiop Painter, c. 450 BCE Terracotta neck-amphora (jar) with twisted handles, Attributed to the Lykaon Painter, c. 440 BCE  Terracotta amphora (jar), Attributed to the Berlin Painter, c. 490 BCE Terracotta skyphos (deep drinking cup), Greek, Attic mid-5th century BCE Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: The Ancient Greeks - From Red Figure to the Rise of Rome 00:01:29 Recap: From Geometric to Black Figure Pottery 00:02:49 The Potters: Immigrant Makers and Family Workshops 00:04:52 The Red Figure Revolution: A Technical Breakthrough 00:06:45 Andokides and Bilingual Pottery 00:09:18 Pattern Bands and Workshop Signatures 00:11:33 Sophistication and Space: The Classical Aesthetic 00:14:13 The Berlin Painter: Minimalist Mastery 00:16:37 Shapes and Function: The Symposium Culture 00:18:54 Slavery, Democracy, and Greek Society 00:22:06 The Value Question: Cheap Plastic or Precious Art? 00:25:43 Production and Economics: From Souvenir Cups to Masterworks 00:28:01 Greeks Had No Word for Art 00:29:14 Legacy and Permanence: Objects That Tell Stories 00:31:40 The Hellenistic Expansion: Red Figure Goes Global 00:33:36 The Roman Conquest: 146 BC and the End of Greek Independence 00:37:20 Ceramic Memory: How Clay Survives Empire Credits: Hosts: Paul Greenhalgh & Stephanie Rozene Editor: Sam Bond Executive Producer: Emma Cahusac

    The Ancient Greeks: From Red Figure to the Rise of Rome

  6. Sep 16 ·  Video

    The Ancient Greeks: Pots, Power and the Birth of a Civilisation

    Emerging from the turmoil of the Bronze Age collapse, ancient Greece would become one of the most influential cultures in history – and ceramics were at the heart of its story. Stephanie Rozene and Paul Greenhalgh trace the extraordinary rise of Greek pottery, from the bold patterns of the Geometric period to the great workshops of Athens and Corinth and the exquisite black-figure vessels of the Golden Age. Against a backdrop of warring city-states, expanding trade and the looming threat of the Persian Empire, they discover how these pots became vessels for myth, storytelling and everyday life – and an extraordinary record of a civilisation taking shape. To view the ceramics being discussed in this episode, please switch to video in your podcasting app. Featured Artworks: Images featured in this episode:Terracotta volute-krater (bowl for mixing wine and water), Etruscan, c. 340–300 BCE Terracotta hydria (water jar), Greek, Euboean, mid-6th century BCE Terracotta lekythos (oil flask), Attributed to the Painter of Athens 1943, c. 450–440 BCE Map of Peloponnesian War 431 BC Map of Athens Proto-geometric pottery, c. 950-800, made at Kerameikos © The Trustees of the British Museum. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) Plan of Kerameikos, Athens Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International (CC 4.0) Kerameikos Photo, Athens Courtesy of Paul Greenhalgh Terracotta amphora (jar), Signed by Andokides, Attributed to the Andokides Painter, Attributed to the Lysippides Painter, c. 530 BCE Terracotta neck-amphora, Greek, Attic, c. 710 BCE Dipylon Amphora, 760-750 BCE, National Archaeological Museum of Greece, Athens , Courtesy of Paul Greenhalgh Dipylon krater, Attributed to the Trachones Workshop, c. 725 BCE Hellenistic Amphorae Marble funerary stele, c. 4th century BCE, National Archaeological Museum of Greece, Athens Courtesy of Paul Greenhalgh Terracotta oinochoe (wine jug), Attributed to the Chigi Group, c. 625 BC Vase, first half of 6th century BC (made) Black Figure amphora, Exekias, Greek, c.530-525 BCE, Vatican Museum. Terracotta lekythos (oil flask) (2), Attributed to the Amasis Painter, c. 550–530 BCE Terracotta neck-amphora (jar) (2) with lid and knob (27.16), Attributed to Exekias, c. 540 BCE Signature Exekias Louvre Death of Penthesileia, by Exekias, c. 550-543 BC, CC 4.0 Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: The Ancient Greeks - Pots, Power and the Birth of a Civilisation 00:00:59 Historical Baggage: Reinventing the Greeks 00:04:35 The Greek Polis: City-States and Cosmopolitan Culture 00:07:06 The Bronze Age Collapse: Sea Peoples and Dark Ages 00:10:18 Geometric Pottery: The Ceramic Renaissance 00:23:02 Corinthian Innovation: New Visual Languages 00:26:31 The Persian Threat: Marathon and Military Culture 00:33:22 Black Figure Revolution: Exekias and Master Potters 00:43:15 Terra Sigillata: The Technology Behind the Beauty 00:46:20 Rebuilding Athens: Setting the Stage for Red Figure Credits: Hosts: Paul Greenhalgh & Stephanie Rozene Editor: Sam Bond Sound Mix and Engineering: Joe Little Executive Producer: Emma Cahusac

    The Ancient Greeks: Pots, Power and the Birth of a Civilisation

  7. Sep 9 ·  Video

    The Minoans: Myth, Minotaurs and the Ceramics of Ancient Crete

    Nearly 4,000 years ago, the Minoans flourished on the island of Crete, trading across the Mediterranean and creating some of the most extraordinary ceramics of the Bronze Age. Stephanie Rozene and Paul Greenhalgh explore a world where myth and archaeology collide – from King Minos, the Minotaur and the labyrinth to the discovery of Knossos. Through monumental storage vessels, exquisite Kamares wares and spectacular octopus jars, they uncover the creativity, power and mysterious decline of one of the ancient world’s great civilisations. If you would like to see the images from this podcast, please switch to video in your podcasting app. Images in this programme: Image off map of Crete, Greece and Turkey  Terracotta vase in the form of a bull's head ca 1450 – 1400 BCE, The Met Collection Heinrich Schliemann  (1822–1890)  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/  Sir Arthur Evans 1851- 1941 at Knossos Photograph of Knossos, courtesy of Paul Greenhalgh Reconstruction of Knossos  Bull-Leaping Fresco found at Knossos ,1450 BC,  Linear A inscription on a clay tablet from Hagia Triada, Crete, ca 2100 – 1450 BC  Linear B Tablet from Knossos, ca 1375 – 1350 BC  Procession fresco from Knossos; reconstructed by Émile Gilliéron from the late Minoan period, CC 4.0 Minoan pithos Storage jars at the Palace of Knossos, ca  1700 BCE Large scale Caskets “bath tubs” and storage units, c.1750 BCE Terracotta beak-spouted jar, Vasiliki ware, 2600-2200 BCE, The Met Collection Terracotta bridge spouted jar, Minoan ware, 1900-1600 BCE, The Met Collection Kamares Ware Jug, Protopalatial period (2100-1700 BCE). Heraklion Archaeological Museum, Crete, courtesy of Paul Greenhalgh Kamares Ware Jug, Heraklion Museum, by Wolfgang Sauber, CC Kamares wares in the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion ca 1900 - 1700 BCE photo: Bernard Gagnon, CC 1.0 license Kamares wares jugs, Archaeological Museum of Heraklion, 1900-1700 BCE, CC 3.0 Octopus Flask ca 1500 – 1450 BCE,  Furman University,  3.0 Mycenaean-Minoan Ware, c. 1450, courtesy of Paul Greenhalgh Terracotta jar with three handles ca 1525 – 1490 BCE,The MetCollection  Terracotta stirrup jam with Octopus Helladic, Mycenaean, c.1200-1100 BCE, The Met Collection   Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: The Minoans - Europe's First Great Civilization 00:00:54 Placing the Minoans in Greek History 00:02:37 Island Power: Geography and the Rise of Crete 00:04:56 The Legend of the Minotaur and King Minos 00:09:15 Heinrich Schliemann: Chasing Homer's Myths 00:11:35 Sir Arthur Evans and the Discovery of Knossos 00:13:32 The Palace at Knossos: Architecture and Bull Imagery 00:17:48 Linear A and Linear B: Decoding Ancient Languages 00:20:40 Giant Pithoi: Monumental Storage Vessels 00:24:23 Early Minoan: Vasiliki Ware and Beak-Spouted Jars 00:28:15 Middle Minoan: The Glorious Kamares Ware 00:33:47 Late Minoan: Marine Style and Octopus Jars 00:36:47 The Mycenaean Question: Trade or Invasion 00:40:51 The Bronze Age Collapse of 1177 BC 00:43:45 Legacy: The First Europeans Remembered in Clay Credits: Hosts: Paul Greenhalgh & Stephanie Rozene Editor: Sam Bond Executive Producer: Emma Cahusac

    The Minoans: Myth, Minotaurs and the Ceramics of Ancient Crete

  8. Sep 2 ·  Video

    Bernard Leach - The Making of A Master - Part 3

    How did Bernard Leach’s ideas travel from a small pottery in St Ives to influence generations of potters around the world? In the final episode of our three-part series, we follow Leach as his influence spreads beyond Britain. We explore his relationship with American potters Warren and Alix MacKenzie, his travels across the United States, and his celebrated 1952 tour with Shōji Hamada and Sōetsu Yanagi. From Black Mountain College to the emerging American studio pottery movement, we meet artists including Marguerite Wildenhain, Karen Karnes and Peter Voulkos, and discover how a new generation embraced, challenged and transformed Leach’s ideas. This is the story of how Bernard Leach became an international figure — and how his philosophy helped reshape studio pottery for generations to come. If you would like to see the images featured in this podcast, please switch to video in your podcasting app. Artworks and images in this episode: Bernard Leach, David Leach, and students at the Leach Pottery, St. Ives, Cornwall c.1945 A Potter’s Book, by Bernard Leach, 1940 David Leach, 1911-2005 Standard Ware Bowls, Bernard Leach Pottery Dinnerware, The LeachPottery, St. Ives Michael Cardew, William Marshall, Bernard Leach, Picnicking at Cardew’s Pottery in 1970, Courtesy of Jeff Oestrich Bernard Leach at Alfred University, 1950, Warren & Alix MacKenzie, 1953, Bowl, Warren MacKenzie, c. 1969-1970 Ceramics, Warren MacKenzie, 1924-2018 Hamada, Leach, Yanagi and Wildenhain at Black Mountain College, 1952 Sōetsu Yanagi, Bernard Leach and Shōji Hamada, 1952 Black Mountain College Seminar, 1952 Vases, Margaurite Wildenhain, c. 1940’s-50’s Bottle Vase, Margurite Wildenhain, 1970 Vase, Bernard Leach, c. 1959 Shōji Hamada, c.1970 Sōetsu Yanagi, Bernard Leach, Rudy Autio, Peter Voulkos, Shōji Hamada, 1959 Covered Jar, Peter Voulkos, c.1954 Peter Voulkos kicking the potters wheel, 1952 Cup and Signed Box, Shōji Hamada Robert Rauschenberg at Black Mountain College, c.1952 Bernard Leach, c.1920’s Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: Bernard Leach's Later Life and International Impact 00:01:00 David Leach and the Standard Wares: Professionalizing the Pottery 00:03:09 The Apprentice Model: Learning Philosophy and Craft 00:05:26 Warren McKenzie: The First American Apprentice 00:10:29 Leach's First American Tour: Land of Money, Speed and Gadgetry 00:13:11 The Three Musketeers: Leach, Hamada and Yanagi Tour America 00:17:05 Black Mountain College: Clash of Philosophies 00:22:59 Hamada's Magic: Improvisation and Visual Language 00:25:38 Archie Bray Foundation: Meeting the Young Peter Voulkos 00:33:10 Legacy: Bernard Leach as Big as Wedgwood Credits: Hosts: Paul Greenhalgh & Stephanie Rozene Editor: Sam Bond Executive Producer: Emma Cahusac

    Bernard Leach - The Making of A Master - Part 3
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About

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 stories from this often-overlooked corner of art history.  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.  Full of revelation, insight and practical expertise, The History of Ceramics offers an alternative history to our times.

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  • Creator
    HENI Talks
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    31
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © HENI 2026

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