Urn uit de Bronstijd, gevonden nabij Dömsöd 1928

Here is a black and white photograph taken by Jan Lanting of a bronze age urn found near Dömsöd. When I look at the rough, earthy texture of this urn, I think about process. I see that the walls of the urn are built up slowly in layers, coil by coil, maybe? I imagine the hand of the potter, patiently shaping the clay, feeling the material respond to the touch. It looks like it has been made from the earth and is now, once again, re-interred in it. The shape is so simple, so elemental. The rounded belly of the urn, the narrow neck, the small handles like vestigial arms. It feels so ancient, so connected to the cycles of life and death. It reminds me of the work of other artists who engage with archeology or with pottery, like Theaster Gates or Simone Leigh, who take traditional ceramic forms and imbue them with new meaning. It's as if they are all in conversation, reaching back through time to connect with the makers of the past.