DescriptionIn 1922, Armenian artisans Neshan Balian and Megerditch Karakashian, having arrived in Jerusalem a few years earlier with master ceramist David Ohannessian, established their own workshop on Nablus Road under the name "Palestine Pottery." During the British Mandate period, the studio became known for producing a wide variety of decorative objects, including hand-blown glass vessels and ceramic tiles, blending traditional Kütahya and Iznik influences with local Palestinian and Christian motifs. These early decades were marked by experimentation with both ceramic and glass forms, catering to growing interest in handcrafted Middle Eastern decorative arts among residents, pilgrims, and tourists. After 1948, the enterprise took on both names for a short time, then became Jerusalem Pottery, continuing under the Balian family, while the Karakashians later opened their own workshop nearby. The Levantine Ceramics Project notes that the enterprise founded in 1922 as Palestine Pottery “became known as Jerusalem Pottery” in 1948. However, extant ephemera demonstrates that the Palestine Pottery name persisted into the Jordanian administration of East Jerusalem (1948–1967). A business card accompanying the donation reads “Palestine Pottery, Jerusalem, Jordan,” indicating that the earlier name remained in use alongside—or perhaps interchangeably with—Jerusalem Pottery well into the 1960s. Over time, the business shifted focus primarily to ceramics, with later generations, including the celebrated artist Marie Balian, elevating its tilework into large-scale mural art. Yet the period of "Palestine Pottery" remains significant for its role in expanding Jerusalem’s artisan economy, introducing hand-blown vessels alongside decorated tiles, and laying the foundations for what is now one of Jerusalem’s oldest continuously operating family craft studios. Citations Al‑Kharouf, Mustafa. “Four Generations and 100 Years of Ceramic Artistry: The Balian Design Studio.” Jerusalem Story, May 13, 2022. Accessed August 22, 2025. https://www.jerusalemstory.com/en/blog/four-generations-and-100-years-ceramic-artistry-balian-design-studio Tchekhanovets, Yana, and Doron Ben‑Ami. Kiln/Workshop: Palestine Pottery // Jerusalem Pottery, Jerusalem (Israel‑Palestinian Authority/Central Highlands). 20th century. Levantine Ceramics Project. Accessed August 22, 2025. https://www.levantineceramics.org/kilns/186-palestine-pottery-jerusalem-pottery