From the introduction of woodblock printing in China to the development
of copper-plate engraving in Europe, the print medium has been used
around the world to circulate knowledge. Ceramic artists across time and
cultures have adapted these graphic sources as painted or
transfer-printed images applied onto glazed or unglazed surfaces to
express political and social issues including propaganda,
self-promotion, piety, gender, national and regional identities. Long
before photography, printers also included pots in engravings or other
two-dimensional techniques which have broadened scholarship and
encouraged debate.
Pots, Prints and Politics examines how European and Asian ceramics
traditionally associated with the domestic sphere have been used by
potters to challenge convention and tackle serious issues from the 14th
to the 20th century. Using the British Museum's world-renowned ceramics
and prints collections as a base, the authors have challenged and
interrogated a variety of ceramic objects - from teapots to chamber
pots - to discover new meanings that are as relevant today as they were
when they were first conceived.