How was it made? An Agate Teapot

In this video Michelle Erickson recreates an 18th-century agateware teapot in the V&A's collection.
Michelle Erickson was Ceramics Resident: World Class Maker at the V&A, July -- September 2012

[@annhutcheson5770]

The level of this woman’s artistry, talent and skill is mind bending. Stunning work.

[@leorios6400]

And patience 👍 I love her explanations

[@sarroumarbeu6810]

I totally agree she's amazing

[@willengel2458]

i would give credit to the Tang dynasty craftsman who came up with this technique and design.

[@mubashirdadabhoy5669]

Whenever I go to a museum, I see normal items that were made in extraordinary ways. Videos like these help me see an old piece and imagine it when it was first made, and the beauty that it must have held before fading away.

[@steweythecatdog]

Wow, you are a true artist. Absolutely gorgeous.

[@martharanum162]

steweythecatdog O

[@TheLocoRunner]

Craftswoman I would say :p, this was fine craftsmanship.

[@greenrolaids]

craftswoman...lol if you want to be taken seriously .. try craftsperson so as not to offend the binary.

[@nia356]

@@greenrolaids craftswoman is the correct word. She identifies as a woman. What's your point?

[@scarletpimpernelagain9124]

Oni It was a joke. You do not share the same sense of humour so explanation is futile.

[@SuperKlizzard]

"I'm cutting my model in half to test...." True artist...able to create beautiful work, yet willing to destroy the same work to reach a higher standard. Reminds me of painting class where our teacher would walk by and mess up our paintings on purpose, to keep us from becoming overly committed to one direction.

[@corruptedteka]

Oh man, I would hate that so much. But that just means I'm too attached to things.

[@MisstressMourtisha]

Seems like they manipulated someone else's work to fit THEIR vision and not the artists at all.

[@kathyfallon7278]

hm why do you feel that way? It looks like she reached a pretty similar look to the original teapot to me.

[@RocLobo358]

It was just a pot and she knew she was going to use it to test

[@lyraelalyn]

I'm so glad youtube recommended this! ❤

[@enjoiorange]

Lyrae Lalyn word

[@sa12111]

they do get it right sometimes

[@structlightning]

enjoiorange 600TH LIKE

[@ramashishyadav9250]

@@enjoiorange 7999h0attkcaad2.aa7alq4f

[@josiahcruz2610]

This was the most satisfying thing I've watched all week. This definitely gave me a whole new appreciation for ceramic artwork!

[@angelaem205]

Eternal gratitude to Michelle Erickson for researching so thoroughly into clay in order to demonstrate it's fabrication into agateware. Truly astonishing to see so much dedication going into the reproduction of a single unique art item. Especially for us art lovers living so far away from the Victoria and Albert Museum. I am sending the artist and the finished agateware a virtual hug (I can't help it, I am weird like that!) 😍💖🙏🏻👌🏻😲✨

[@justaroundthecorner2883]

That was sublime workmanship. The way she created the oval effect was so simple/genius. Many thanks for the upload.

[@smerdoninbrawley]

Wow - what a beautiful job. Ms. Erickson is an artist and engineer rolled into one.

[@E-Kat]

Bill S he he ,rolled... :)))

[@stephenhenion8304]

Potters can "Read" clay. From beginning to end. Thanks for showing us how such a skilled woman achieved such a beautiful result!

[@jhankri]

Some just like to admire finished pieces, but I have always been interested in the process of how it got that way. Really interesting to see this.

[@warriormaiden9829]

jhankri I completely agree!! I love to watch these kinds of artists at work!!

[@najeyrifai1134]

My life motto: the cookie dough always tastes better than the cookie!

[@tim2468]

Fantastic dialogue from the artist.

[@2degucitas]

So many years experience in this woman. True talent.

[@FelisTerras]

..am I the only one who held their breath while watcing this as if it where a murder mysery about to unravel? The levels of pure genius and dedication here is stupefying and inspiring.

[@MrUtubeFanatic]

I think I like yours better than the original.... How you worked out the process for this is beyond me. Great job!

[@StuninRub]

Not even close...The original captures the natural pattern of agate much better.

[@dfbess]

the original is older and the colors have faded over time.. so i believe hers shows what it must have looked like when it was new.

[@StuninRub]

Dustin Bess No, ceramics does not age like that, there are literally porcelain pots from over a thousand years ago that look just like the day were taken out of the kilin. There is clearly a level of skill which has not been bridged yet and techniques which have not been used yet.

[@gappystan2674]

i agree, the pattern on the original looks more natural and probably made by people with lots of practice (either from mass production, training, or practice with the technique)

[@clod8]

Zhida Zhou I would love to have the copy

[@linggiman]

Wow, the level of human creativity in a 16th century..I am amazed..Thank you for sharing

[@0MochiBear0]

Gosh she made it look so effortless, but a lot of time and trial and error went into making this. I miss pottery so much. I loved making glazes, and throwing things on the wheel!

[@catherine59226]

Absolutely stunning!

[@onatcinklc3317]

It's wonderful to see incredibly skilled people like her still exist in the world

[@tiffkungpoify]

I am so happy there are artisans in this world that create in the old way. Beautiful. Hopefully we revert back in many aspects of our life.

[@ohpossumplays]

I love how when she puts in the teapot, it's all white because of the glaze and then she opens the kiln lid and BOOM. This beautiful multicolored teapot is revealed. It's almost like magic.

[@SilvanaDRavenna]

Mesmerizing! She's incredibly skilled. I'm obsessed with teapots so this was such a treat to watch.

[@stevegrooms1142]

I'm stunned by this. Erickson's commentary is perfectly concise and intelligent. This video sets a standard that very few videos of any sort could equal.

[@cindybrownbair7995]

Spectacular work!

[@joshuetortega3572]

beautiful!!! i feel like if i drink from this teapot, my tea will greatly increase in taste

[@joshuetortega3572]

I feel the same way, the question is how to get one of these

[@787310]

Joshuet Ortega Villegas nigga did you just reply to yourself

[@jealousharibo]

It's somehow possible, because the shape of the vessel in which you brew your drink has some impact on the whole process, for example due to the amount of steam that can leak out through the lid and so on, and because I believe in the past people paid more attention to such details, a modern copy of the then teapot would probably had similar qualities - if the original had them in the first place, as we might suspect it did.

[@epicdude2333]

you dont drink from the teapot, you drink from the cup Deep

[@jealousharibo]

Protector Of The Turtles but you brew it in the teapot. The process of brewing has greater an impact of the taste than the process of drinking.

[@jillmoloy1928]

Thank you for your video and explaining the process!

[@Kariija]

How much work, fantasy, patience, knowledge and reliable proprietor in all this! Great!

[@grittynitty]

I have a new appreciation for pottery! Scientific and artistic at the same time...

[@Labroidas]

I just love watching people who are extremely good at their job do what they are doing.

[@WillWorkForRic3]

This is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen in my entire life. Thank you.

[@Some_Idiot_on_the_Internet]

Man, watching the clay being slapped around, cut up, pressed together and slapped around again is seriously satisfying. So comfy right now.

[@chirayadharma1994]

such a beautiful thing to watch her work, not to mention the quality of the filming and the beauty of the tea pots and the wild awesome technique!

[@voraciousreader3341]

That is one of the most beautiful objects I’ve ever seen....absolutely gorgeous!

[@kennethgreer]

This was such a joy to watch.

[@E-Kat]

We have to make sure skills like that aren't lost in this age of 3D printing! Thank you very much for sharing.

[@VRodz-11]

Just found this channel, I'm hooked.... Such a talented woman

[@grumpybear5410]

A deady level of craftmanship revealed for anyone to see. I salute you. Nothing more could be said to salute you'r professionality. I bow in humility.

[@epicdude2333]

dude, **facepalm** quote "*A DEADLY LEVEL OF CRAFTMANSHIP*" unquote. lol XD

[@tm502010]

This is stunning. As someone with pottery experience, I know the incredible level of numerous skill sets shown here. Must be pricey as hell!

[@saile4400]

In the beginning I just saw an old weirdly colored teapot, now that you showed the process, I think I can appreciate it more, suddenly it's more beautiful, and I realize that the hands of craftsmen made this many years ago.

[@Slarti]

It's similar in some ways to how sweets were made and even how patterned swords were made. Beautiful teapot by the way and it would be lovely to spend an afternoon with the artist drinking tea out of the teapot and discussing art.

[@remidanielle4248]

Considered a master restorationist now at 40 years / I was impressed! Every item brings the challenge of understanding how it was originally made / in order to correctly repair it / great job !!!

[@dennishunt1590]

You are one fair dinkum artist. What you created is nothing short of remarkable. I am truly impressed with your talent.

[@daniesza]

Michelle Erickson you are a stunning artist with exquisite craftswomanship and eloquence of instruction. I love these VandA videos.

[@identification133]

Astoundingly beautiful - you mastered an old, priceless art - in the end, couldn't tell which was more beautiful.

[@funny-video-YouTube-channel]

Beautiful art. The *ceramic crafts is her superpower :-)*

[@MindETMuch]

This series of videos are simply wonderful ! It helps us appreciate the true nature and extend of the work and craftsmanship behind all those little artefacts in front of which we maybe pass by to quickly while visiting museums. Thank you for this work !

[@kishore4770]

OMG! Some real talent and lot's of research is evident from this video. One of the best in KZbin.👍🏼

[@P2tbAnimeGirl]

This is a gorgeous piece of art and the research and attention to detail is stunning. This video is so amazing and relaxing to watch. Thanks for the insight into your creative process with this piece!

[@illusionzauto]

Wow i stumbled across this out of nowhere and this is truly remarkable. This woman must be a soul from the 17th/18th century reborn because this is unbelievable.

[@DimNussens]

This is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen made, and I do watch a lot of videos here on KZbin. This is a masterwork.

[@fortysomethingbadgirls2173]

Taking this class in college i had forgotten the beauty and fun in creating. Thank you! Learned a new method.

[@helpfulnatural]

Wow....just WOW! That's so beautiful! I'm a huge tea lover so this was truly enjoyable to watch. :-)

[@ruthoconnor3144]

Breathtaking! Otherwise I am speechless. That kind of work comes from the soul. Amen. Thanks, 1925lady

[@jesterblackguarde8464]

The process of layering, rolling, re-billeting, cutting, and re-arranging of the clays is very reminiscent of the process of making complex weld patterns in steel.

[@marcussparticus8380]

Damask steel 🖒

[@brndnshv]

This kind of stuff never ceases to amaze me.

[@THEmightyQUINN777]

This is technically amazing and exquisitely beautiful!

[@grammyyelog]

Amazing recreation of the 18th century piece. Bravo Michelle Erickson

[@balluumm1]

Fascinating! A beautiful piece of work from an amazing artist. A pleasure to watch.

[@VarongTangkitphithakphon]

Wow, it's amazing how someone could re-create this and how amazing it would be that someone in the old day creating this!

[@rlt94]

Not gonna lie, the different color clays layered together looked pretty delicious.

[@jp8649]

Ah, the forbidden snack. Agreed, but from experience not so tasty.

[@joeventura1]

Breath taking & beautiful!! Your reverse engineering of the pot was spot on!

[@flames1752]

Great video and beautiful work but it would have been great to see them side by side without blurring out the other.

[@Locke3OOO]

Flames 17 most people develop object permanence at a young age. Maybe give it another try

[@XandriaRavenheart]

Agree, wanted to pause the video to compare and contrast. Couldn't do it.

[@alexandram7257]

@@Locke3OOO Object permanence isn't visual memory

[@marcussparticus8380]

That's what I thought, shame about the blurring.

[@flames1752]

@@Locke3OOO Alexandra is right, object permanence is just knowing that an object doesn’t fail to exist if it’s suddenly put behind another object. Very few people have photographic memory, so the ability to compare small details and direct comparisons of a greater magnitude isn’t an innate ability.

[@rickkuny6591]

Never underestimate the creativity and the curiosity of the human spirit. Absolutely remarkable work, I don’t know which is more astounding, creating this in the first place or reverse engineering it 150 years later.

[@lauvredis]

Great artist and great video!

[@pippingtonne]

every so often i come back to this video and watch it again, for no reason.

[@8888barb]

Wow, that is beautiful, easy when an expert does it.

[@maureentuohy9423]

How elegant and uplifting is the creative process. The best of humanity.

[@sparkbag_]

I'm not gonna lie, this blew my mind. Probably because I knew nothing about pottery.

[@sonjaduplessis7315]

WOW! Thanks to genius people like you , we can learn......! Thank you so much 🌹

[@anne-mariebarreaux6834]

you explain in a way i understand. Thank you

[@Fjalll]

"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough." - Albert Einstein

[@antoncelestinoestrada-gn5yt]

This is so amazing ❤❤❤❤

[@joannali0517]

That’s stunning✨Amazing n incredible for the trials n techniques 🤍

[@Automedon2]

Imagine the anticipation as she waited for the firing to finish and then removing that incredible result.

[@alexandraabraham6698]

Skilful, artistic, talented and extraordinarily gifted, as well as observant, perceptive, meticulous and precise. It felt an honour to watch you at work! Marvellous!

[@LordPinky455]

Absolutely beautiful !! Very informative, thanks for sharing :)

[@lindan7214]

Wow, this woman is literally a genius! That was amazing, and beautiful.

[@rachelcoleman4693]

Man, how cool. I would love to be able to do this stuff.

[@honeycat535]

wow, this lady is a genius, really world class at her work

[@Echinokaktus]

song / music is Talvihorros - The Blue Cathedral

[@a.j.abrams3550]

Thank you.

[@mineesphere5568]

[@MrJackfrost]

Thank you!

[@giusepperesponte8077]

I’ve never seen a more mesmerizingly beautiful man-made object in my life, this is art.

[@anthonyg934]

Disliked by Pottery class dropouts The techniques shown here are pretty damn amazing. Always a relaxing getaway to watch these types of vids.

[@tamikolee3116]

You, your talent, your craft....priceless.

[@psammiad]

Wow, something completely random in my recommendations but what a beautiful video. I notice the new pot has a more vibrant blue - does the cobalt colour fade with time?

[@killermitchu]

I think it's probably because of where the clay comes from? Sometimes there is a difference in the components that may vary colors

[@MichaelS-vy1ku]

It shouldn't fade, it's cobalt oxide. I think it's just more blue because she used a lot more cobalt. The original only has it in thin strips.

[@Enny_Gima]

My guess would be that her colors are more vibrant, because her clays were made with modern, purified chemicals. Back when the original is made, the pigments would have not been so chemically saturated.

[@polyonomata]

Cobalt colour is not be faded easily. Just the temperature is important. Higher temperature makes cobalt darker and more blue, even black.

[@carolinejohnson-pseudonym1841]

If you look really carefully on the new pot, you can see that the blue bled into the clay. It actually looks like the original pot's blue bled a little too, but only a little bit. That might be why her pot's blue looks more vibrant to you: there is more blue and greater variety in the shades of blue because of the bleeding. The areas the blue bled into are also lighter than the concentrated lines

[@nicole14355]

Wow. She is on a whole other level. Beautiful.

[@fahadkelantan]

The song is Talvihorros - The Blue Cathedral

[@sunnyn3197]

fahadkelantan thank you so much i was looking everywhere! surprised not more people commented about it. such an interesting song :)

[@her-em-akhet]

came back to this years later to say thank you, I owe you my life 🙏

[@77777aol]

This is exceptional craftsmanship ! Brava ! Bless your creative hands . . . Whatever the craft, art and even philosophy and sport, in developing a skill one needs to choose a mentor wisely and ask - 'What have they achieved?' So much could be learned from the hands of Michelle Erikson; she is a true master of her craft.

[@network735]

This is not my thing but I can appreciate this women's skill she is a master I wish I paid more attention to pottery at school.

[@JulianFoley]

This has been a mystery to me for decades. Thanks. A beautiful piece.

[@purplecornflake285]

Idk about you but I feel like taking a pottery class now

[@rajvishukla458]

SAME

[@npeace312]

I did pottery for a year in high school picked as my independent study class. I miss it so much! It's very relaxing. You get into a groove. Kickwheels are everything. I wish I had one. Then a kiln.

Amazing :)

[@Bill-xx2yh]

One of the most beautiful things created, that my old eyes have ever seen.

[@patavinity1262]

Very nice work, only criticism is that the patterning is much more fluid and delicate on the original.

[@laurentheArteest]

The precision is incredible. Creative and thought out

[@najeyrifai1134]

Great work. Still the older one is a lot more seamless.

[@hourslookingsideways7850]

Remarkable. There is so much potential for these clays separating at many points in the process. Patience and giving the piece lots of times to rest and bind clays is essential.

[@cecilyerker]

My only criticisms are that she could have smeared and stretched the surface pattern before pressing it into the mold in order to mimic the original better, since it was trying to look like concentric rings of agate.

[@ianjames6320]

My colleague and I have been inspired to have a go at making this. Great inspiration from this video, Stoke is my home town. I'm always impressed by what my local ancestors could make.

[@lass-inangeles7564]

The music was horribly annoying and distracting and drowning out the voice. Silence is golden. Just natural sounds and voice is soothing to watch. I wish the initial carving was crisper though, saw some lumps after glazing before final firing. This was a technically difficult process, to get the marbling to match. Nicely done! Finished product was superb! Brava!

[@VIDEOEPPO]

Wow!..One of the best videos I have seen in recent times. It was so soothing...like meditation ....