An easy-to-follow beginner's workshop in creating the human form and self-supporting, standing animals in clay simple. This revised and updated edition includes 4 new projects.

After years in the doldrums, there has been a resurgence of interest in figurative ceramics. In this book, a well-known ceramic artist looks over the past 25 years and selects 100 of the most important artists working with ceramic figures.

The Copeland Collection of 134 Chinese and Japanese ceramic figures, perhaps the most important assemblage of its kind still in private hands, is recognized internationally for the superb quality of its many rare forms. Acquired by Mrs. Lammot du Pont Copeland over the past fifty years, each of these beautifully modeled human and animal figures testifies to the unerring eye of a premiere collector.The majority of these figures are of porcelain, produced during the late seventeenth to the late eighteenth centuries, principally for export to the West. Each individual piece displays the meticulous artistry, the marvelous enameling, and the animation and wit characteristic of this remarkably innovative period in ceramic history However modest in scale, many are important works of art.--Amazon.com.

It’s an absolutely unequalled photographic gallery: no other book has ever presented such a varied, captivating collection of contemporary ceramics based on the human form. The works range from representational to abstract, from artful realism to provocative surrealism, and many of them come from leaders in the field such as Judy Fox, Kurt Weiser, and Andy Nasisse. Kay Yourist has produced female forms that are smooth, minimalist vessels with only the slightest hint of breasts and belly. The simple, rounded features of Diane Lublinski’s black-and-white figures possess a fun, clown-like whimsy. Michael A. Prather’s mournful ceramic portraits have frowning faces and pointed dunce-like heads in a muted color palette. Many of the ceramics come with detail images and illuminating artist’s commentary.

This book features over 480 beautiful color photos of pottery created at Hagen-Renaker. Realistic and whimsical clay animal figurines are displayed, making this book truly enjoyable to read. Also included is a price guide, information on other potteries of the time, and a look at some Hagen-Renaker imitations.

This volume describes and illustrates the ceramic figurines excavated at the Maya site of Tikal, Guatemala, from 1956 through 1969. The collection includes both hand modeled and mold-made figures, human and animal, as well as related ceramic objects including figurine molds, flutes, and panpipes. The figurines are classified by subject matter, and the site distribution and dating discussed. These figurines are the largest excavated collection of ceramic figurines from a Maya site, and one of the major artifact categories from the site of Tikal. Most of the classifiable pieces are illustrated at a scale that allows comparison with similar objects from other Maya sites. The purpose of this volume is the presentation of the material from the site of Tikal; comparative material is limited.

Is it 18th-century Sèvres or a 20th-century copy? A steal or a rip-off? This Miller's price guide, like the others in the popular series, delivers authoritative answers to questions like these in two sections: "What to Look For" covers how to recognize the important factories and designers, how to date and identify an item (with illustrations of marks), what determines value, and how to spot fakes. "What to Pay" reveals how much specific items actually sold for at dealers and auction houses. More than 1,400 items from a variety of sources are valued and illustrated in full-color, from 18th-century Meissen to 20th-century Royal Doulton. There are pieces for modest budgets, too, including popular categories such as Staffordshire and Wade.

"Elizabeth A. Waraksa examines the ceramic female figurines excavated by John Hopkins at the Precinct of Mut in Luxor, Egypt between 2001 and 2004. The figurines date from the New Kingdom to the Late Period (ca. 1550-332 BCE). Ceramic figurines are frequently overlooked by archaeologists, art historians, and social historians because the lack the aesthetic qualities usually associated wit Egyptian art. However, the Hopkins-excavated figurines display features that mark them as standardized ritual objects. Waraksa argues that ceramic female figurines were produced in Workshops, utilized by magician/physicians in healing rituals, and regularly snapped and discarded at the end of their effective "lives". This is a new, broader interpretation for objects that have previously been considered as toys, dolly, concubine figures, and - most recently - votive "fertility figurines"."--Publisher's website

Over 7000 years of Chinese pottery and porcelain in text and pictures, from Neolithic times through the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1911. Illustrations follow the evolution from the earliest pottery tomb figures to the fine porcelains created by edicts of nineteenth century Chinese Emperors. The book features over 400 color photographs, a Time Line of selected historical events, and values in today's marketplace for each pictured item.