Glazed Ceramics

An archaeologist in the excavation field will certainly come across intact vases or fragments (ostraca). And for sure, every byzantine excavation, will bring to light byzantine glazed wares, which cover the period from 9th to 15th century.

The term glazed refers to ceramic artifacts of daily use which are covered with liquid glass mainly in the inner surface to create an impermeable, smooth and glossy surface, the ideal background for decoration. The decorative techniques of Byzantine glazed ceramics were: painted, engraved, relief and champlevé. In the latter, all the coating is removed so that the light-colored figures emerge from the dark-colored clay. Engraved decoration (sgraffito) is the one technique that dominates all others: after creating the pot and adding the base, its inner and outer surfaces are covered with white coating, on which the ceramicist engraves the patterns. After the first firing, the vase was coated with a thin layer of glass and the final firing followed. It's impressive that a contemporary artist follows the same steps!

It's obvious that Byzantine ceramicists except for functionality were also interested in the aesthetic impact of their works. The ornamental motifs on those clay pots (animals, birds, fishes, herbal or geometric patterns), removed from the rigidity and commitments of religious art, are naïve in their execution, giving us a glimpse of daily life in Byzantium. At the same time, as with every excavation finding, they allow us to diagnose the social, economic and trade features of the era. The shades of green and ochre created by the oxides of metals (iron, copper), which are included in the polish used in the last firing, have unique aesthetic value.

During the Ottoman period, ceramic workshops continued to produce large amounts of glazed wares- with motifs and aesthetic sometimes similar and other  times disparate from their Byzantine ancestors and it's true that Byzantine, Islamic and Chinese glazed ceramics present many similarities of patterns and decorative techniques.

In this thematic exhibition we explore the glazed ceramics of the Byzantine, Ottoman and modern era which capture the interest of archaeologists, art historians and contemporary ceramicists alike.