The History of Ceramics

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

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

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

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 apprentices, his pottery becomes a meeting place for ideas drawn from East and West. This is the story of how Bernard Leach helped transform the status of the studio potter — and began building a movement that would reach far beyond St Ives. To see images of the pots being discussed on this podcast, please switch to video in your podcasting apps. Featured Artworks: Bernard Leach 1913 early Raku Vase,   The V&A Collection Photo of Bernard Leach with Shōji Hamada and Sōetsu Yanagi, 1952 St. Ives Harbour and Porthminster Beach - Cornwall – UK Cornwall - St. Ives, Back Lane - 1920's Photochrom Postcard The Leach Pottery, St. Ives, Cornwall Blueprint of “The Leach Pottery Japanese Style of climbing Kiln. Design by Tsurunosuke Matsubayashi”, 1923. Crafts Study Centre, University for the Creative Arts Grade II Listed Climbing Kiln, Leach Pottery Raku Firing Kiln Bowl, early 20’s, Bernard Leach Barbara Hepworth & Bernard Leach, 1968, St Ives Museum 1934 (relief), Ben Nicholson, 1934, Tate Shōji Hamada, 1894-1978 Tsurunosuke Matsubayashi, 1894-1932 D W & L K Elmhirst,' 1893-1970, Dartington Hall Trust Archive Two Bowls by Bernard Leach and Teabowl By Shoji Hamada Herbert Read by Mark Gerson, 1967, The National Gallery A Potters Book by Bernard Leach, 1940 Salmon Vase, Bernard leach, 1950 Slipware Plate, Bernard Leach, c. early 1930’s Early Slipware dish, Bernard Leach, c. early 1930’s Early Jar with Firing crack, Bernard Leach, c. early 1930’s, courtesy of Paul Greenhalgh Charger, 1929, Bernard Leach, courtesy of Paul Greenhalgh The Mermaid dish, 1670-1689, Thomas Toft, The V&A Collection A Dartington Pottery Salt Glazed Stoneware Flagon Photo of David Leach, 1911-2005 Teapot, David Leach and Charger, Bernard Leach, courtesy of Paul Greenhalgh Vase, c. 1959, Bernard Leach, The V&A Collection, courtesy of Paul Greenhalgh Standard Ware, c. 1941, Bernard Leach, The V&A Collection, courtesy of Paul Greenhalgh Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: Bernard Leach Returns to England 00:01:30 St. Ives: A Haven for Artists and Traditional Craft 00:07:48 Building the Pottery: Early Struggles and Failures 00:14:06 Hamada's Departure and the Kiln Rebuilt 00:15:02 The Elmhursts and Dartington: Patronage and Philosophy 00:17:36 Pottery as Art: Breaking Down the Barriers 00:22:25 The Leach Aesthetic: Japanese Meets English Slipware 00:30:44 A Potter's Book: The Ceramic Bible Published 00:35:44 David Leach Takes Over: Professionalization and Production 00:36:58 Legacy: The Apprentice Model and Global Influence Credits: Hosts: Paul Greenhalgh & Stephanie Rozene Editor: Sam Bond Executive Producer: Emma Cahusac

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 course of modern ceramics. To see images of the ceramics being discussed in this podcast, please switch to video in your podcasting app. Featured Artwork: Bernard Leach and bookcase, Tokyo, 1917-1919  Bernard Leach, A Potters Book, 1940 Bernard Leach with grandparents in Japan, c. 1890 Frank Brangwyn, by Reinhold Thiele, c 1900 John Ruskin, by W. & D. Downey, 1863 William Morris by Frederick Hollyer, 1887 Leaping Salmon Vase, c.1950, Bernard Leach; Okinawa Style Teabowl, c.1970, Shōji Hamada, Oxford Ceramics Gallery Harmony in Blue and Gold, The Peacock Room, by James McNeill Whistler, 1834-1903, Public Domain Temple of Heaven, Peking, 1916, printed signature in the plate Bernard Leach 1916,  Public Domain Photograph of rural Japan, C.1900, Public Domain Early Raku Vase, Bernard Leach, c.1925 Raku Firing Kiln Portrait of Ogata Kenzan VI, by Bernard Leach, 1924 Mokko-shaped Food Bowl, by Uruno Shigekichi, 1881-1923 Cup, Ogata Kenzan, 18th Century Photo of Shõji Hamada, 1894-1978 Photo of Sõetsu Yanagi, 1889-1961 Photo of Bernard Leach with Shõji Hamada & Sõetsu Yanagi, Dartington 1952 Cup and Signed Box, Shõji Hamada Large Dish, Shõji Hamada Stoneware Bottle, Shoji Hamada Hamada’s Kiln in Moshiko, Creative Commons License, CC3.0 Unknown Craftsman, Sõetsu Yanagi , 1972 Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: Bernard Leach - The Making of a Master 00:03:57 Early Life: Colonial Beginnings and Artistic Awakening 00:12:01 The Arts and Crafts Movement: Ruskin, Morris, and Moral Philosophy 00:15:15 Japan's Meiji Period: Transformation and Cultural Identity 00:18:10 Return to Japan: Teaching Etching and Finding Community 00:23:52 The Raku Party: A Life-Changing Moment 00:27:05 Training with Kenzan VI: Entering the Japanese Pottery Tradition 00:28:57 Hamada and Yanagi: The Birth of Mingei 00:30:57 Philosophical Foundations: Arts of the People 00:33:30 The Bold Decision: Sailing for St. Ives Credits: Hosts: Paul Greenhalgh & Stephanie Rozene Editor: Sam Bond Executive Producer: Emma Cahusac