Sculptor's Materials: Ceramic

“I like the control over clay. If I don’t like what I have done it can be disposed of and recycled. I can constantly be trying things out and pushing the material to the limit. Clay is very much hands-on. Very few tools are required. It’s a simple process that doesn’t depend on other people.” – Patricia Volk

Ceramics is one of the world’s oldest crafts made by humans using fire, predating both bronze and glass. Many sculptures were crafted from clay during the Palaeolithic period. The Venus of Dolní Věstonice, now housed in the Moravian Museum in Brno, is the earliest known clay piece. Discovered alongside other animal sculptures and over 2,000 small balls of fired clay, it dates back to 25,000 BCE. Measuring 111 x 43 mm, the sculpture was found among prehistoric ashes, broken in two. Researchers discovered a child's fingerprints on it, suggesting that he or she may have handled the sculpture before it was fired at a relatively low temperature (around 700°C).

Terracotta and clay were used from the Palaeolithic period until the fall of the Roman Empire, after which there was a decline in their artistic production and use during medieval times. These materials experienced a resurgence during the Renaissance when clay models were made to be cast in bronze. Clay also allowed for more affordable sculpture collections, as it is a less expensive material than bronze. Ceramic art can be painted or enamelled to achieve a similar finish to bronze. The Chinese Terracotta Army, discovered in 1974 by farmers digging a water well at Mount Li, China, comprises more than 8,000 warriors and horses made from clay between 246 and 208 BCE for the First Qin Emperor. Over 700,000 labourers worked on this project, as the sculptures were intended to serve the emperor in his afterlife.

Picasso was a prolific ceramic artist. In 1948, he learned how to sculpt clay and spent seven years in Vallauris, a village in the South of France renowned for its artistic ceramics. There, he created more than 4,000 original works, some of which were later reproduced in editions ranging from 25 to 500 copies. Clay can also be used in architecture to decorate the exterior facades of buildings. The Natural History Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Royal Albert Hall in London all feature ceramic facades to enhance their detail.

Nowadays, clay is becoming a more accepted medium for contemporary sculpture and fine art, elevating it beyond its traditional association with craft. Major international artists use this material to express their creativity. Grayson Perry, the first ceramic artist to receive a Turner Prize in 2003, created vessels with complex surfaces using techniques like glazing, incision, embossing, and photographic transfers. Edmund de Waal explored the potential of ceramics by integrating it with architecture, music, dance, and poetry. Finally, Rebecca Warren uses ceramic representations of the female form to convey both tenderness and aggressiveness, often referencing other historical works and artists.

Clay is a fine-grained natural soil material containing minerals and a variable amount of water which gives it its plasticity. It is naturally developed after erosion and can be found near large lakes and marine deposits. Clay is ideal for unlimited creativity thanks to its plasticity which helps the material to be malleable. It can be used for sculpture on any scale - from small figurines to large works. Any clay can be sculpted. Its colour changes depending on the oxides that it is composed of. If there is more iron, the clay will be red, if there is limestone in its composition then it will be white. With the addition of kaolinite, you can get strong and translucent porcelain. In order to fire it, it needs a progressive heat from 25 to 1000 or 1200 degrees Celsius depending on the clay used. It then hardens and can no longer be changed.

To care for your clay sculpture, handle it gently and avoid placing it in high-traffic areas where it could be knocked. Dusting will depend on the individual surface so with each ceramic sculpture we will provide a care manual. Whilst each piece will have been fired to a high temperature, some ceramics will remain porous and therefore, we reccomend only handling with gloves to maintain each piece's beauty and integrity for years to come!