The Kiln gods of MECA

Kiln gods go back to ancient times. They can be found in many cultures including the Chinese (Tung - the god of fire) and the Egyptian (Khun - protector of all things made on a wheel) cultures. The belief was that when a small clay figure representing a deity was placed in a kiln, it would protect and bless the firing. The kiln gods in this slide show are some of the many ones adorning the large gas kilns at Maine College of Art (MECA). I took these photos while attending a recent River Tree Clay Guild workshop. Enjoy



estimated to be from the 1930's ......Crazy!!!
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