Read this as ‘a new terror’. (Which, I suppose, holds.)

I… should have heeded this warning.

It was likely cut first, then glazed/fired to practice. In my class, we’d usually throw the piece, cut, then toss into a “reclaim” pile where it would be made useable again. But sometimes (esp when the thickness was consistent) we would use them as demo pieces or to try out new glaze/techniques.

Looks like a beginner pottery wheel project — often cut in half to check for consistency in wall thickness as you’re learning to throw.

Did I just fall in love with microscopy? I think maybe.