European ceramics

This fourth volume in the "Decorative Arts" series traces the story of European ceramics from the Middle Ages to the present day, highlighting key developments, techniques, discoveries and styles. Looking at Medieval earthenware and stoneware, tin-glaze and Dutch tiles, and the invention and uses of porcelain, the author then turns to the impact of industrialization on ceramics, with its radical changes in methods of working and new techniques, such as transfer-printing. The Empire period and the Great Exhibition are shown to be a great stimulus to ceramic production, while the 20th century is characterized by the separation of the designer, manufacturer and artist, reflected in the modernism of the Bauhaus style and the influence of Art Deco.