Pottery has been used by people for thousands of years.  It has been used to hold a wide variety of items including food, liquids and even money.  We’ll review how pottery first evolved and then cover some changes and enhancements which were made to them over the years.

But first it is advisable to define what is pottery.  It is basically the forming of an object made from clay into a defined shape and then heating it to a high enough temperature which removes the water from the clay and initiates a process which makes permanent changes to the object including improvement of its strength and hardness.

This clay object can also be decorated before or after firing.  And the clay must be worked before it is formed.  It is normally kneaded to remove trapped air which can cause weakness and ultimate failure of the object.  And the kneaded object is shaped by a variety of means including slip forming, wheel forming, or simple hand forming.

There is evidence of pottery from cultures dating back thousands of years.  This is even before the advent of written language.  In many cases, pottery artifacts are the only evidence remaining of an ancient culture.  Since the pottery is so durable and not subject to degradation, artifacts have remained despite being buried or placed in caves, etc.

The earliest evidence of pottery dates back almost 30,000 years BC and is called Gravettian figurines.  In early phases, objects were formed from clay by hand.  They were simple bowls or other objects.  The earliest examples are simple figures made by hand.  They were based on kneaded clay which was formed and then fired.

The pieces were fired by placing them into a bonfire.  Improvements in the manner in which pottery was formed continued to evolve over the years.  Potters wheels were developed in Mesopotamia around 4,000 to 6,000 BC.  This revolutionized pottery production and allowed widespread use of these objects for a variety of purposes.  It enabled pottery to be used for a wide variety of storage and transport purposes.

Bisque molds were used as early as the 5th or 6th century.  They were used by the Etruscans and then by the Romans.  Slipcasting was developed later and is still the most common way of forming pottery today.  It was practiced in China as early as the T’ang dynasty.

The use of bonfires to fire the pottery was ultimately replaced with kilns.  The earliest models were essentially holes dug into the ground and covered with fuel.  The holes in the ground provided needed insulation and allowed for better control over the firing process.

The earliest form of pottery was called earthenware.  It was typically hand formed and fired in a bonfire.  The development of glazes allowed for decoration and helped to provide for more watertight and non porous construction.

Glazed stoneware followed and evidence of early forms date back to the 15th century BC from China.  The evolution of kilns allowed for the higher temperatures necessary to achieve desired results.  This type of pottery continued to evolve and improvements in the shape and durability of these pieces resulted.

Porcelain was first developed in China during the Tang Dynasty (618 – 906 CE).  This style was also produced in Korea and Japan around the 16th and 17th century AD.  It did not appear in Europe until the 18th century.

This type of pottery allows for delicate structures, exquisite artwork and beautiful colors.  It is still being used today and is an excellent example of what can be done with pottery.

So from simple hand formed objects to delicate and exquisite pieces, pottery has and will continue to serve useful purposes while highlighting fine artistic expression.