The Traditional Pottery of Papua New Guinea [Hardcover]

Patricia Urzua May (Author), Margaret Tuckson (Author), Patricia May (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2000

This book is the most comprehensive and authoritative survey ever produced of the traditional pottery of Papua New Guinea. The authors have made a thorough analysis of pottery-making throughout Papua New Guinea, based on eight years of fieldwork. They proffer a first-hand account of clay preparation, pottery formation, and firing techniques, interwoven with information on the functions of the pottery and the various approaches to decoration. Particular types of pottery have been identified by analyzing some of the clays and by studying the pottery in terms of different language divisions, which tend to correlate with different pottery styles. The book contains detailed descriptions of the pottery based not only on personal observation, but also on a meticulous collection of photographs from the villages of Papua New Guinea, private collections, and museum collections throughout the world. Besides providing fascinating descriptions of personal contact with traditional potmakers and legends about the origins of the clay and potmaking, The Traditional Pottery of Papua New Guinea makes a serious contribution to the study of the country's history and culture in its documentation of pottery exchange routes and the cultural importance of pottery. Reviews of previous historical and anthropological information are also incorporated.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"... it is a wonderful source of technique, form and pattern, and would make a valuable addition to any college library." -- Eileen Lewenstein, Ceramic Review

"The wealth of information...is paralleled by the riches to be found in the many photographs which illustrate it." -- Lissant Bolton, Australian Natural History

About the Author

Patricia May has a BA from Vassar College and an MA from the University of Michigan, and is a former lecturer in the history of art at the Australian National University. Margaret Tuckson is a well-known potter and teacher of pottery. She is also a member of the Potters Society of Australia, and an associate of the Australian Museum, Sydney, and a council member of the Anthropological Society of New South Wales.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 392 pages
• Publisher: Univ of Hawaii Pr (May 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0824823443
• ISBN-13: 978-0824823443
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 8.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #408,564 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A genius for the clay arts--vessels to figures, August 8, 2001

By 

"rnold" (Rock Hill, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Traditional Pottery of Papua New Guinea (Hardcover)

This book is rich in content and visuals--loaded with examples of the finest clay works from PNG, along with pictures of their makers at work. These men and women were true artists. We are shown how coiling was done, and how a pot can be fashioned by the paddle and anvil technique--the two basic potmaking traditions of Melanesia. The authors include maps showing all villages with pot making industries at the time the first edition of this book came out in the early eighties, as well as then extinct villages that once were pottery producers. We are also shown the regions where men predominantly make pottery, others where it is the women, or where both collaborate in the process of making and decorating clay objects for utilitarian and ritual use. This is a completely informative and thoroughly enjoyable record of a remarkable tradition, far better than anything you could pull off the Web on the subject in facts and in details and in images.