Alan Caiger-Smith
Encyclopedia
Alan Caiger-Smith MBE
(born 1930) is a British studio potter
and writer on pottery
.
, Argentina
. He studied at the Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts and read history at King's College, Cambridge
(1949-1952). He trained in pottery at the Central School of Art & Design in 1954 under Dora Billington
.
According to Grove Art, he established the Aldermaston Pottery
in 1955, "a cooperative workshop of about seven potters making functional domestic ware and tiles, as well as individual commissions and one-off pots. By trial and error he revived and perfected two virtually lost techniques: the use of tin glaze
and painted pigments on red earthenware clay, and the firing of lustres on to tin glazes."
His book on Tin-Glaze Pottery (1973) covers its history and much of its technique. He co-translated and annotated a detailed contemporary description of the materials and methods of Renaissance
maiolica
, Cipriano Piccolpasso
's I Tre Libre Dell'Arte Del Vasaio (The Three Books of the Potter’s Art) (1980). His history of lustre ware, Lustre Pottery, was published in 1985.
He was Chairman of the British Crafts Centre 1973-1978 and was awarded the MBE
in 1988.
He ceased employing assistants in 1993 to concentrate on personal work and in 2006 announced his decision to sell the Aldermaston Pottery.
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
(born 1930) is a British studio potter
Studio potter
A studio potter is one who is a modern artist, who either works alone or in a small group, producing unique items of pottery in small quantities, typically with all stages of manufacture carried out by themselves. Studio pottery includes functional wares such as tableware or cookware, and...
and writer on pottery
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
.
Life and work
He was born in Buenos AiresBuenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. He studied at the Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts and read history at King's College, Cambridge
King's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college's full name is "The King's College of our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge", but it is usually referred to simply as "King's" within the University....
(1949-1952). He trained in pottery at the Central School of Art & Design in 1954 under Dora Billington
Dora Billington
Dora Billington was an English teacher of pottery and a studio potter. She was born into a family of potters in Stoke-on-Trent and studied at Hanley School of Art. She worked as a decorator for Bernard Moore, 1912-1915, and then took a diploma in ceramics at the Royal College of Art 1915-1916...
.
According to Grove Art, he established the Aldermaston Pottery
Aldermaston Pottery
Aldermaston Pottery was a pottery located in the Berkshire village of Aldermaston. It was founded in 1955 by Alan Caiger-Smith and was known for its tin-glaze pottery and particularly its lustre ware...
in 1955, "a cooperative workshop of about seven potters making functional domestic ware and tiles, as well as individual commissions and one-off pots. By trial and error he revived and perfected two virtually lost techniques: the use of tin glaze
Tin-glazing
Tin-glazing is the process of giving ceramic items a tin-based glaze which is white, glossy and opaque, normally applied to red or buff earthenware. The opacity and whiteness of tin glaze make it valued by its ability to decorate with colour....
and painted pigments on red earthenware clay, and the firing of lustres on to tin glazes."
His book on Tin-Glaze Pottery (1973) covers its history and much of its technique. He co-translated and annotated a detailed contemporary description of the materials and methods of Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
maiolica
Maiolica
Maiolica is Italian tin-glazed pottery dating from the Renaissance. It is decorated in bright colours on a white background, frequently depicting historical and legendary scenes.-Name:...
, Cipriano Piccolpasso
Cipriano Piccolpasso
Cipriano di Michele Piccolpasso was a member of an Italian patrician family of Bologna that had been settled since the mid-fifteenth century in Castel Durante, which was an important center for the manufacture of maiolica...
's I Tre Libre Dell'Arte Del Vasaio (The Three Books of the Potter’s Art) (1980). His history of lustre ware, Lustre Pottery, was published in 1985.
He was Chairman of the British Crafts Centre 1973-1978 and was awarded the MBE
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
in 1988.
He ceased employing assistants in 1993 to concentrate on personal work and in 2006 announced his decision to sell the Aldermaston Pottery.
External links
- http://webserver2.realnet2000.co.uk/primavera.nsf/854bbbce6c4b502880256faa003e1878/960c9a204c938f9980256fd6005906c4!OpenDocument Primavera GalleryPrimavera GalleryPrimavera is a fine arts and crafts gallery of historical significance at 10 King's Parade in Cambridge, England. Henry Rothschild of the Rothschild family founded Primavera in 1945 in Sloane Street, London, in order to promote and retail contemporary British art and craft...
] - National Electronic and Video Archive of the Crafts