Why Is Morocco Famous For Ceramics?
Morocco is filled with concealed treasures, among them, a large variety of pottery. No wonder it is a crucial part of Moroccan home decor! The country of Morocco is well known for its pottery, which is one of the finest specialties of the kingdom.
The pottery tradition in Morocco dates back to the 12th century thanks to a surrounding areas which produce a rich clay. Three Moroccan cities — Fez, Meknes and, in particular, Safi – are the main pottery centres of the country.
Artisans Carry Out Centuries-Old Traditions In Their Designs
These designs are passed on through families. Safi is by the far the biggest production centre where apprentice workers kneed the clay and skilled artisans form the shapes out of the sun-baked clay on the potter’s wheel. Designs are then etched on the wet clay and dried out in the sun.
The designs are then fired in kilns to vaporize the moisture from the clay, cooled and then decorated with coloured glazes which make them quite water resistant. Pottery from Safi is well known for its metal inlays and is frequently made of red clay and glazed in green, turquoise together with black.
Fez – The Centre Of Excellence
The centre of excellence for many of Morocco’s best-known handicrafts, Fez, is well known for the mastery in the art of ceramics, wood as well as leather. The cobalt blue colour is an emblem of the pottery of this magnificent city and a gleaming example of Moroccan workmanship.
Go on a tour of the Pottery Village in Fez and you will see first-hand the whole process of the craft of Moroccan pottery. In Fez, the pieces are cooked for hours at very high temperatures in order to later allow them cool and cover with a white tin-glaze. On that glaze, the artisans draw blue geometric patterns. Ultimately, the piece is re-baked and tin finishing is applied which is a distinctive feature of Fassi design.
Blue Pottery From Fez
Blue pottery from Fez came to be as a result of cobalt that was derived from the rocks and stones that are river-swept into the Wadi Mellih gorge. When ground into a fine powder, these stones produce the materials needed in order to create blue glazes.
Today, however, the cobalt is no longer in great supply and glazes are imported. Bleu de Fez designs are characterised by intricate geometric patterns which adhere to Islamic dictates. Potters blend the finely ground powders obtained from mineral sources with varying amount of water to realize different colours and tones. Decoration is applied by master craftsmen, frequently with handmade horsehair and bamboo brushes.
Materials
The materials that are used in Moroccan pottery depend on the season as well as the region, just like the NZ mobile betting activities you’ll enjoy in New Zealand may differ to those in Canada. For instance, regions where they have a lot of red clay will often have a red hue to them.
Fez and Meknes’s artwork in pottery and ceramics often have a metallic and blue tint that reflect the materials that they have access to as well as the requirement for blue in ceramics.