A failed experiment: Medici porcelain

Ewer (brocca), c. 1575-87, soft-paste porcelain, decorated in underglaze blue, 20.3 x 10.8 x 12.4 cm (The Metropolitan Museum of Art).
Speakers: Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank and Dr. Steven Zucker

[@christianfrommuslim]

Great topic! I'm always interested in ceramic history yet didn't know about the Medici attempt at porcelain.

[@magicknight13]

YAY! New smarthistory content! It’s a great day already

[@deer563]

Yes

[@vanessawuest1114]

These pieces are beautiful

[@Sasha0927]

Dr. Zucker's "a pitcher!" was funny.
This made me wonder when a pitcher stops being a pitcher and becomes a ewer (or vice-versa).. Maybe they're just completely interchangeable. I also wondered about "grotesque" meaning what it does in this context - did the etymology borrow from these little drawings and somehow transform into its common meaning today? I like words. Ceramics... not quite as much, lol. 😅 I do look forward to trying my hand at making them, though.

[@muhammedsalihsefiloglu6516]

please make a video about Ottoman ceramics as well

[@smarthistory-art-history]

We would like to! We do have a few things that might be of interest:
smarthistory.org/mimar-sinan-rustem-pasha-mosque-istanbul/
and
smarthistory.org/iznik-ewer/

[@magicknight13]

I really do not want to be nitpicky because this is such excellent content and I am greatly fond of this channel but for the description, the second speaker was not Beth Harris that’s Stephen Zucker!

[@smarthistory-art-history]

Fixed! Thanks for catching that.

[@bowbookbike]

Your video videos are so helpful for AP European! Thank you!

[@curiousworld7912]

They are lovely, and I continue to find it fascinating what people put such value in.

[@EfnysYersina]

Nice