handmade pottery

Mexican Pottery, Pride of Mexico

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Talavera Ginger Jar by Maximo HuertaWe live in a world where technology, Internet and LCD screens are everyday conversation. But some people  like to take us a break and enjoy the simple things that have been with us for many centuries. In Mexico we are very proud of our Mexican pottery

The pottery was used by our ancestors for everyday use, but also as part of their religious rites. So we can find a wide variety of ways, because although they could be used to bring water, were also placed proudly in the center of the ceremonies that took place.

An authentic pottery is made entirely by hand, using techniques that our ancestors discovered and that even today are passed  by tradition from grandfather to childs. While today are manufactured in serie the fake ceramic, for do a real ceramic is required about a month of work.

Clay usually used for processing, so we can ensure a very strong product that will stand the test of time. Originally this material was used to keep water cool, then before the intense heat of this country, they had a way to maintain a good temperature this vital liquid.

The crafts used for daily use are usually brown, keeping the color of the earth. But for decorating the home is unusual to keep that color, it is common that is decorated with colors that give it new life.

There are different types of Mexican pottery throughout the country, each region has its own style that characterizes it. For example, there Talavera Puebla, which is valued worldwide for its beauty and level of complexity in their development.

If you come to Mexico, you can visit the many states out there. Everyone has their own style, so you probably end up finding something according to your tastes and needs. We have crafts of all sizes and colors for your home.

In conclusion, in Mexico we are very proud of our ceramics. Has a unique globally which is prized by people who know art. Do not be fooled by imitations, the real is reality by craftsmen who are still using ancient methods.

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Spruce Up Your Home with Authentic Talavera Pottery

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Authentic Talavera from MexicoThis year get creative and choose gifts to delight everyone on your list and be remember for this unique piece of art.

You will find something unique for your friends and family that they will appreciate you for it, because it will change the look in any room of thier home.

Talavera decorative pieces will enhance any room of any home lacking in liveliness as to cause mental weariness.

Talavera pottery comes in inexhaustible shapes, colors and forms making it one of the most versatile workings of art, which makes it uncomplicated to appeal to a variety of taste.

There is a such wide variety to choose from that while you are determining what to buy, you will most likely have a harder time deciding which pieces to keep for yourself and which ones to give as gifts.

Talavera is furthermore a brilliant option for home remodeling projects, you can transform your kitchen with tiles, murals, floor tiles, cooking ware, wall plates, and dishes.

If you are thinking about your bathroom, you have talavera sinks, mirrors, and bathroom accessories.

You also can convert the look and feel of your dinning space, living-room, bedroom, and floors, here is no end to the many ways you can fix up and change the look in your household.

After you get a Talavera pottery piece, you are in possession of a part of fine art that has a rich history and a tradition going back to the 16Th century after it was formerly introduced by the Conquistadors to the Nueva Espana.

The indigenous people who learned the old techniques added their own themes, colors and shapes, which gave birth to the pottery that we see today.

When you look at a Talavera vase, jar, urn, platter, plate, bath accessories, and tiles you will notice the influence of the different cultures; Arab, Spanish, Chinese, Italian, and Mexican that where involved in the evolution of this world-renowned art that had a great influence throughout the newly discover world.

Due to due to its functionality and durability in every day use, Talavera pottery became popular in the 19Th century and in many cases a Talavera piece would become a legacy within a family, passing from one generation to the next one. Today, this can also be true, you can start a little legacy for you, or someone that you know.

In our day, this will also will hold to be true, you can start a minor legacy of your own, or someone that you know.

This year give out extra significance with less expenses with a piece of hand painted Talavera pottery, the finest earthenware of Mexico.

Talavera Poblana: Nomenclature & Production

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The eighteenth-century chronicler Ferrindez de Echeverria y Veytia claimed that Talavera was the finest pottery produced in the City of Puebla, and wrote about ‘these workshops of white earthenware called Talavera that can be found within the city limits. With a white clay…they make all kinds of pieces that are so polished and original, so well glazed and painted that they are just as good as any imported from Europe, which are copied perfectly.

Today, tin-glazed pottery from Puebla is still referred to as Talavera, but no one seems to agree about the origin of this term. A rather obso­lete theory affirms Talavera was the surname of the first potter in Puebla to produce a ceramic piece of this kind, but this theory has yet to pro­duce any documentary evidence. Another states that it was given this name in honor of those pot­ters who came from Talavera de la Reina in Toledo to teach techniques to their counterparts in Puebla.Authentic Talavera Pottery from Puebla, Mexico

Resorting to oral tradition, some scholars have affirmed that Dominican friars in Puebla, who were aware of a lack in local skills (and were anxious to tile their monastery) asked the Order in Tdlavera de la Reina to send friars who could teach potters the art of tin-glazed ceramics. There are no documents, however, to support this belief. The most widely held opinion is that Talavera was given this name very simply because of its similarity to the earthenware pro­duced in Talavera de la Reina.

The most recent theory is that the term was first used in 1682 when clauses were added to the Ordinances laid down by the potter’s guild in Puebla. One of these clauses stated that ‘fine pot­tery should imitate earthenware from Talave­ra…’ which is to say that the object should be so similar to the other that only with great difficulty can one tell the original apart from the counter­feit.” Other scholars claim, however, that not one of these theories or legends proves why pottery from Puebla is called Talavera. and have conse­quently insisted on the term majolica or white earthen ware. Majolica was the Italian name given to glazed porous pottery from Mallorca, which soon came to designate any similar ceramic piece. Though the term Talavera is no longer used in Spain, it is still very much alive in Mexico, especially in Puebla where potters continue to use essentially the same methods as their ances­tors.

Indeed, the techniques involved in the making of Talavera have hardly changed at all since colonial times. Potters used two kinds of clay: a black variety extracted from deposits in the hills of Loreto and Guadalupe and a pink clay which was found near Totimehuacan. Once the clay’s had been sifted to get rid of all foreign matter—such as plant debris and pebbles—they were mixed and then left in water tanks “to rot”.  The plasticity and quality of the clay improved the longer they were left.  Before the potter could work the clay he had to remove all excess water. He then began to wedge the clay by plating it on a brick floor in a covered area where it was “treaded” barefoot to achieve an even consistency.Authentic Talavera Pottery from Puebla, Mexico

The wedging was finished-off by hand  and the clay was then divided into lumps of different sizes: the bigger ones were called tallos (reeds) and the smaller ones hulas (bullets). The potter worked the smaller lumps on the wheel to create numerous objects and used molds for making tiles. Once the pieces were completed. they were left in a closed room for a long period of time to ensure that they dried evenly. They were then fired in a wood-fueled kiln. After this firing—which lasted from ten to twelve hours each piece was examined carefully in order to separate the good pieces from those with imperfections or those that had been fired unevenly_ net-were then covered with a white glaze—made of a tin and lead base—which gave the enamel finish to each piece, According to the seventeenth-century ordinances, the proportion of glaze lo be used was 1 arroba (25 lbs.) of lead to 6 afro-bas of tin for extra-fine pieces, and 1 arroba of lead to 2 of tin for ordinary white earthenware.

Once the glaze had dried, pieces were decorated with different designs. The range of choices was also designated by the Ordinances and would vary depending on the quality of the ceramic piece. Potters prepared paints from x-ariaus mineral pigments.  Pieces were then ready for the last firing which would take up to forty hours.

Article excerpt from Artes de Mexico Magazine – June 1992