Having worked with clay from a young age, I love seeing the diversity of ceramic objects in the Carlos’ collection. The range of techniques used throughout human history to form, fire, and decorate clay vessels and the similarities of techniques used across cultural lines is fascinating.
Due to the fact that clay is such an accessible medium for creating, ceramic objects can be found in every gallery at the Carlos, some of which include slip-decorated Nazca vessels, a glazed Roman chalice, an incised Makonde pot, and a highly detailed black figure Attic vase. Each object was formed and decorated in its own unique way; however, the similarities in materials and processes used lead to a number of shared condition issues.
