Book 365

Welsh Pottery

by Lynne Bebb

Published 1 May 2004
While porcelain from Swansea has a well-deserved reputation for quality, the enormous and sometimes surprising variety of pottery which has also been produced in Wales is less well-known outside the country. From the coarse red earthenwares characteristic of small family enterprises to fine factory-produced and decorated creamwares which rivalled the best that Staffordshire could offer, this book examines the range and discusses the context for the manufacture of ceramics in Wales. Techniques and methods of production are introduced and illustrations help to establish design trends and influences, along with the problems of identification and dating, so that the reader can begin to understand some of the complexities which make the study of Welsh pottery so interesting. Finally the importance and relevance of ceramic display within the Welsh culture is explored.