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magazines, ming dynasty, and clay with no name

updated wed 31 jul 96

 

jonpjon@ibm.net on fri 26 jul 96

Hi Jan,

thanks for posting those magazine addresses, from France, Germany, Italy,
Spain and Taiwan. I would be very interested to see contemporary work
from countries that have so much history in ceramics and yet are so
little known, at least in some of the the English speaking countries.

>to own a piece of Ming ceramic to the Chinese is an honor but I don't
know why<

I would guess that for many people the Ming Dynasty would represent the
highest achievement in ceramic technology, especially the Blue on White
overglaze painting style so highly treasured among antique collectors
all over the world. In my opinion though the real peak of Chinese
pottery happened in the Sung Dynasty or earlier where the simplicity and
integration of form and color reached a level that has never been surpassed.

>looking for new clay with name<

Those allergies you are experiencing would probably come from dust in
the workshop, the elements that clay is composed of,like Alumina, Silica,
Potash, Calcium etc. are among the most common materials of the earth,
I don't think it's possible to be allergic to the same elements your
body is composed of. As for the name part, it's always a good idea to
know where your clay comes from, and to mix it yourself whenever possible.
If I'm not mistaken there are many good clays from Malaysia, I think there
are some tin mines in your country, and some of the best Kaolins are
associated with tin mines, like Grolleg, the famous English Kaolin. I know
there are some excellent clays from Indonesia too.

Jon Pettyjohn, Manila jonpjon@ibm.net