There is no bonsai without a pot. Bonsai literally means 'planted in a pot', and while the pot itself may take on any one of an almost infinite number of shapes, materials, and colors, it should always compliment the tree above it. It has been said that the pot for a bonsai is like the frame for a painting. I largely agree with that sentiment. The pot frames the bonsai, helps invoke a mood or locale, it points up or highlights the special features or inherent beauty of the particular species or style in which the tree has been trained. The pot should never distract or diminish the beauty of the bonsai-- in fact the combination of the two should be 'greater than the sum of its parts', meaning that tree and pot together make something much more beautiful than if they were viewed alone.
The craft of pottery is of course an art form all by itself. The specialty of bonsai pottery is more rarified and brings with it challenges unique. I have spoken with beginning bonsai potters (accomplished in the craft of pottery but new to pottery for bonsai) who express frustration with the thought that their work ultimately will be subjugated to the role of the frame for a painting. In fact the opposite is true; the combination of beautiful tree and perfect pot sublimates both and creates a single work of art from two distinct crafts.
Two of the basic categories for bonsai pottery are the firing temperature and method of firing for the pot itself. The vast majority of bonsai pots are high-fired stoneware, sometimes called bisque. Unlike porcelain (which is fired even higher), stoneware is both extremely stable and can transpirate moisture. Bonsai demand freely draining soil and pots, thus a material like stoneware is perfect. The clay breathes and yet will not crack or chip when faced with repeated freeze/thaw cycles that will of course occur many times (hopefully many hundreds of times!) during the lifespan of the bonsai. Most stoneware bonsai pots are not glazed, as glazing inhibits the pot's ability to breathe. Some gorgeous stoneware pots will have texture added with thick drip glazes. Sarah Rayner, one of the finest American bonsai potters, is a master at such pottery. Her bonsai pots are sublime, rustic yet sophisticated, natural and earthy while still retaining high style and originality.
Many fine bonsai pots are glazed, either stoneware or porcelain. Glazed pots are a bit
more flashy, and are often chosen for flowering and fruiting bonsai to compliment the high
degree of showiness of such trees. A superb bonsai potter who has mastered glazing is
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