Signed La Corona Talavera Mexican Folk Art Pottery Serving Bowl
Cobalt & other colors floral design.
Wonderful high quality made in the traditional Talavera way.
11" square x 3.5" tall
Excellent condition.
Talavera is a type of
majolica earthenware, distinguished by its white base glaze. Authentic Talavera
pottery only comes from the city of Puebla and the communities of Atlixco,
Cholula and Tecali, as the clays needed and the history of this craft are both
centered there. All pieces are hand-thrown on a potter's wheel and the glazes
contain tin and lead, as they have since colonial times. This glaze must craze,
be slightly porous and milky-white, but not pure white. There are only six
permitted colors: blue, yellow, black, green, orange and mauve, and these
colors must be made from natural pigments. The painted designs have a blurred
appearance as they fuse slightly into the glaze. The base, the part that
touches the table, is not glazed but exposes the terra cotta underneath. An
inscription is required on the bottom that contains the following information:
the logo of the manufacturer, the initials of the artist and the location of
the manufacturer in Puebla.
The design of the
pieces is highly regulated by tradition. The paint ends up slightly raised over
the base. In the early days, only a cobalt blue was used, as this was the most
expensive pigment, making it highly sought after not only for prestige but also
because it ensured the quality of the entire piece. Talavera is the most
outstanding of Mexico’s pottery traditions. Only natural clays are used, rather
than chemically treated and dyed clays and the handcrafting process takes three
to four months. The process is risky because a piece can break at any point.
This makes Talavera three times more costly than other types of pottery. Because
of this, Talavera manufacturers have been under pressure from imitations,
commonly from China, and similar ceramics from other parts of Mexico,
especially Guanajuato. Guanajuato state petitioned the federal government for
the right to share the Talavera denomination with Puebla, but, since 1997, this
has been denied and glazed ceramics from other parts of Mexico are called
Maiolica or Mayolica.
All packages are insured for your protection and mine. The price of insurance is included in the shipping fee.
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