I'm Torn....Historical vs Different Skills

 I'm doing some digging into Maiolica research.  I've read Piccolpasso's three treatises on Maiolica a couple of times, and I'm going to go back and dig into it again as both of the last times I've read it, I've come away with different and more information. Each time I've found things that have lead me towards different research and rabbit holes to fall into as well! 


One of the things that Piccolpasso talks about in his treatise is that the ceramics were created on a potter's wheel that would have a wooden mold attached to it in order to make the plates or bowls.  This makes complete sense to me, as Piccolpasso was living in the area of the Castel Durante potteries.  These potteries were making mass quantities of pottery for different households, castles and even for the Pope. That said, the artists needed ways to cut time down on making the pieces, and using a mold in the creation of bowls and plates and other dinnerware, makes it considerably easier to create pieces that are a uniform, standard size and shape.  In addition to the uniformity, it becomes faster to make the pieces if they are coming from a molded form - and a different skill set is needed in order to create these pieces. 

On Left is the Potters Wheel - on the Right the lower image shows the different molds that were used


One might wonder if it is an "easier" skill set to use a mold for making works? Certainly, there is a learning curve just as there is with most anything: there is a learning curve for being able to use the mold and pulling the piece at the right time when it will not warp, or when it is too dry.  This is compared with throwing a plate or bowl on the potter's wheel - which has a different set of skills and knowledge to be learned. 


Where I am torn is do I continue to throw pieces on the potter's wheel - which personally I feel shows a stronger skill set from a technical perspective, or do I go about using a mold for making pieces because that is more historically accurate? 


Right now, my leaning is towards continuing to throw my pieces by hand and use them as I go (which is what I will be doing this spring with the idea that I have!) but if I want to create a full dinner set where all the pieces need to be the same in size, shape, and weight, use the molds to get that sameness. 


Thoughts? 



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