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China | Ceramics | Pottery

Collectibles Made of Clay

Pottery has been around for quite some time. Originally used to store and transport food, water and wine, it is now a considered more of a decorative collectible.

Different styles, shapes and colors are associated with different eras of human history.

The first pottery was made of clay and probably fired in open flame fires.

Fired clay objects have been dated to approximately 25,000 B.C. The first pots found are Japanese, dated around 10,000 B.C.

It is believed the potter's wheel was developed around 6000B.C,.greatly improving and simplifying the art of pottery making.

Pottery has been used for decorative purposes for centuries. Some of the oldest identifiable pottery remnants are idols.

Egyptian Pharaohs buried themselves with many clay canopic jars containing their organs removed during the burial process.

There are many ancient clay pieces that can be collected and are quite affordable. I have seen 2000 year old oil lanterns for sale for a few dollars each.

Mexican Clay Idols

The four figures above - most likely old reproductions - were used to symbolize sacrifice by some Indian tribes in Mexico, Several of them have little trays or containers to hold blood. The originals date back to pre-Columbian times.

I asked a friend, who was an archeologist, about them. He thought that they were old, but that the Indians were probably making them to sell to the Spanish when they finally reached western Mexico.

Definitions

Pottery is earthenware made from porous clay and fired at low heat. The texture of pottery is courser than that of china and bisque. It may not be weatherproof depending on the firing technique or lack thereof.

Bisque is clay that has been fired once to harden it and left unglazed.

Ceramics are made of clay or other heat and corrosion resistant non-metallic minerals. The clay is made into a shape and then fired at high temperatures to make it hard and brittle.

It's usually painted with glaze or paint made for ceramics. After painting the piece can then be fired again to set the glaze or paint and make the piece waterproof.

China is any porcelain or ceramic ware. It's widely used as a collective term for plates, cups, saucers and other dishes. China was developed in China, hence the name. But improvements in its production and decoration were made in Germany and England.

China is known for beautiful vases made during the Ming and subsequent dynasties, England is known for fine china tableware. Germany produces a lot of glazed porcelain figurines.

Collecting Pottery and Ceramics

There are thousands of different collectibles in this area. You can collect ancient pottery - be it shards or complete pieces.

You can collect funereal figures used in Egyptian burial rituals.

More modern collectibles are tea pots, china cups and plates, porcelain figurines, beautifully decorated cookie jars, like the one pictured on the right or ceramic been steins from Germany.

If you travel, you will find collectibles based on clay manufacturing methods all over the world. Different cultures will use different methods of decoration and some make their wares in shapes peculiar to that culture or tribe.

One good thing about most collectibles based on clay is that they are not very expensive - for the most part. A genuine Ming dynasty vase would not fall into this category. But you can find colorful gazed ceramics from around the world for very reasonable prices.

Here is a link to an article on how to clean How to Clean Pottery, Ceramics and China.

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