traditional

Biordi’s Artisans: The Best in Italian Ceramics

16 Comments / Italian Ceramics /

This 2012 video documentary showcases the Italian artists who produce Biordi Majolica.

Biordi Art Imports, located in San Francisco, has been bringing the finest Italian ceramics to the United States since 1946. We were the first Majolica store and still are the leader in this field.

In this video we will take you on a journey throughout the most ancient and renown ceramic towns of Italy. From Caltagirone in Sicily to Faenza, through Deruta, Gubbio, Castelli, Rimini, Florence and Siena.

You will see true masters at work in their studios and you will appreciate the classic designs and intricate patterns from Deruta, together with the works from the other ceramic towns.

This video was produced with love and dedication over a period of six month time by the same people who work at Biordi. In this video we want to share our profound feelings of appreciation when visiting our Italian artists.

Please visit us at and, if you get a chance, visit us at 412 Columbus Ave. in San Francisco.

Maria Martinez: Indian Pottery of San Ildefonso (Documentary, 1972, VHS)

22 Comments / Maria Martinez /

Maria Montoya Martinez and her son, Popovi Da demonstrate how Pueblo Indian Pottery is made using traditional methods. Filmed in San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico.

"Maria Martinez, noted indian pottery maker demonstrates the traditional indian ways, beginning with the spreading of sacred corn before clay is gathered. Also shown are the mixing of clay, construction of pottery, hand decorating, and building of the firing mound."

*I do not claim ownership of this material. Intended for educational purposes.*

Taena Pottery: how to throw & decorate English slipware pots (trailer)

1 Comment / English Slipware /

Ten minute version with commentary here:

Vici and Sean Casserley are the second generation of potters to run Taena Pottery. It was started in 1948 by a group of conscientious objectors and survived their dispersal in the 1960s.

Specialising in traditional English slipware, Vici and Sean make and sell their pots from a studio and shop nestled on the edge of the Cotswold escarpment. You can buy ready-made or bespoke pieces.

Contact details:
Whitley Court,
Upton-St-Leonards,
Gloucester,
Gloucestershire,
GL4 8EB
Tel: +44 (0)1452 610908

Throwing & decorating English slipware pots: Taena Pottery, Gloucestershire

14 Comments / English Slipware /

I had the pleasure of filming two exceptional people and skilled potters demonstrating their craft! The historic Taena Pottery – surrounded by mulberry trees and bee-filled lavender – is having its first flirtation with the internet!

Vici and Sean Casserley are the second generation of potters to run the beautiful Taena Pottery. It was started in 1948 by a group of conscientious objectors and survived their dispersal in the 1960s.

Specialising in traditional English slipware, Vici and Sean make and sell their pots from a studio and shop nestled on the edge of the Cotswold escarpment. You can buy read-made or bespoke pieces.

Contact details:
Whitley Court,
Upton-St-Leonards,
Gloucester,
Gloucestershire,
GL4 8EB
Tel: +44 (0)1452 610908

Slipware is a traditional method of decorating clay pots, practiced globally in a variety of styles. English medieval pottery is often decorated with slip and sgraffito (the two techniques demonstrated here) and can be seen on the Tring Tiles at the British Museum:

I am an Art Historian at Cambridge University, with a deep admiration for practitioners of heritage crafts. I grew up near Sean and Vici and hope this film serves as a celebration of lives devoted to creating useful & beautiful things, or, as Sean puts it, 'making nice pots for nice people.'