When did art begin?

[Masse]

Originally I’d looked at this question through painting, but I can see now that pottery has the longest history with measurable evidence of eras. My feeling is that once an object is removed from its original context (in pottery as a receptacle to contain something), it slips into art. But the application of marks doesn’t make it art, because it’s still embedded in its original utilitarian purpose. It’s only when a bowl is made (with or without markings) for no other purpose but to be looked at, completely removed from its past, that it becomes art. It’s no longer made to contain something but to be something else.