decoration

the need to embellish and decorate various aspects of life
has a history as old as man.

the history of tattoos stretches over thousands of years. the tattooed body of a frozen man ‘ötzi the ice man’ found in a mountain between austria and italy, dates back some 5000 years. 



~ a well dressed man ~



in japan only royalty were allowed to wear ornate patterned clothing.

the practise to decorate the skin ultimately resulted in the classic japanese
“body suit” tattoo.

a japanese man in traditional loin cloth and a full body tattoo in his own home was considered a well dressed man.

many cultures had tattoos, decorative or symbolic.



~ betty broadbent - circus performer ~



during edwardian times tattoos amongst the upper classes (family crests, etc) was popular until the modern tattoo machine was invented and patented. 



this meant many more could afford tattoos.




(imagine a tattooed aristocrat freaking out if betty walked into a room with her 350 tattoos!)

~ ceramic matters - sketch on green ware ~

interesting, decoration on ceramics has followed a similar path.


~ ceramic matters - sketch complete ~

expensive hand decorated ware and later the invention of transfers to decorate cheaper lines for all to afford.



~ ceramic matters - hand engraving complete ~

the plates are in the kiln, hope to show the fired pieces tomorrow.