The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1877-12-29
Mysteries of the Potter. Art.

an entertaining ana instructive lecture
on the above subject was delivered at the
Hall Of the Franklin Institute under the
auspices of the Pennsylvania Museum and
School Of Industrial Art, recently, by Prof
Benjamin W. Putnam, of Massachusetts,.
The lecturer, in familiar manner, gave
an object lesson rather than a lecture us
ing all kinds of Illustrations with which to
entertain and instruct his audience. His
own person, an apple and ball of clay
were treated as representing the animal,
vegetable and mineral Kingdoms, and after
few remarks on their relations to each
other, the lecturer said he would confne
his remarks to the small division Of the
mineral kingdom represented by the ball
OF clay. He then inquired of the chem
ist, the geologist and the arch@ologist
what they had to say about clay, and in
course Of reciting the replies given by each
he gave an interesting account Of the COM
position of clay, the processes by which it
is formed, its distribution in the earth, the
peculiarities of different kinds Of clay, and
the value Of the material to an arehaolo-
gist. Clay, so plastic that a child may
impress it, is when well burned, almost
indestructible, and preserves for ages the
records, written or pictorial, Of the nation
which used it in making pottery. A fan
ciful history of the discovery Of the prop.
critics of clay and Of the invention of the
pOtters wheel was given, for the true his
tory is lost in antiquity. A description Of
different kinds of glaze and enamels fol-
lowed and then an exhibition was given
Of the potter's wheel in operation. A
skillful workman formed, 10 the presence
of the audience, cylinders, jars, pitchers,
&c, to illustrate the lecturers remarks on
form. The potter's wheel is horizontal
plate, revolyed by a foot treadle. The
workman, putting batch of soft clay on
the wheel or horizontally revolving plate,
fashions with his hands the desired article.
Articles made on the wheel are necessarily
circular in all their horizontal sections.
Other forms, such as a pitcher, with its
spout and handle, are notifications of the
vase form, and are produced by after ma
nipulations, with the soft clay article at
rest.
The pottery having been formed, is bak-
ed in an oven and then glazed or enamel
led. The lecturer described the meaning
Of the words Ceramics or Keramics baked
earth, } which includes all kinds Of clay
products, from bricks to egg-shell china;
Of "Majolica, name derived from the
island of Majorca, whence glazed pottery
was taken to the nations of Southern Eu
rope, and Of Palissy ware. In this con
nection he gave vivid description of Pa
lissy's long search for the means wherewitl
to glaze pottery, and Of his final success
wnen, having built an oven and obtained
FIRE wood on credit, he kept the fire burn
ing day after day and night after nigh
without melting the glaze, and was a: las
obliged to burn his fence, his kitchen fur
niture, and finally the door Of his kitchen
to maintain the FIRE while his wife "a par
donable scold) ran down the street cryinJ
that he was a madman. The kitchel
floor melted the glaze, however, and Pa
lissy entered upon his great art career
during which he decorated dishes, &c. 70
the nobility of Europe by moulding an,
painting, in exact imitation of nature
snakes, fishes, crabs, mussels, aud othe
natural objects. He has given his nam
to the decorative pottery of France mad,
in imitation Of his works.
Professor Putnam, after briefly referriul
to the great work done by Wedgewood il
England, mentioned the opportunity whicl
is at present afforded the manufacturer
of the United States to improve thei
works, now confined almost entirely to un
decorated household rockery. Tho Cel
tennial Exhibition gathered together som
of the finest works in clay from all coun
tries, many of which have been secured b,
the Pennsylvania Museum and School o
Industrial Art, aud these can be used a
models with which to teach art to ou
children. Besides the practical work oil
the pottcr's wheel, the lecture was illus
trated by drawings on the blackboard an,
by examples Of different kinds of pottery
and of biscuit or unglazed ware.