Replicating a La Tene (Iron Age) painted pot.

Gerry has been asked for his advice on the making of an ancient vase that was found in Prunay in France. It belongs to the Iron Age and is of the culture known as La Tene.  The art work is characterised by lots of scrolls and spirals and is found in examples over here in such works as the Battersea shield and more recently in the Iron Age finds in Pocklington.

A researcher studying for an MA in Archaeology at Durham has been in contact to see if the design could be replicated by potters today. Gerry likes a challenge and has aready started experimenting.



It is a pedestal vase - and Gerry is familiar with the two ways of making such a pot. But what he doesn't know - is how the external decoration could have been applied and that is what he worked on today. He made a couple of trial pots and mixed up two types of slip which he will burnish to see if he can get a shine.

 

This is Gerry making the trial pot and the two types of slip - black and red which were applied afterwards.