Galleria Elegante – Specializing in Online Retail of Mexican Talavera, Mata Ortiz Pottery

Quality artisan craftsmanship in Mexican pottery can be elusive. High-yield factory-made objects are appreciable, but cannot compare to the artistic pieces that are produced in smaller quantities by trained and talented artists. The fine quality of some functional and decorative pots, vases, urns and platters reflect the skills and gifts of the artist who made them, most often using techniques that respect the traditional methods used in production. Two exceptional examples of pottery that pay tribute to traditional practices are Mexican talavera pottery and Mata Ortiz Pottery.

Collectors of true Mexican talavera pottery will attest to the value of its craftsmanship. Thought to have originated in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, Mexican talavera pottery is made through a process similar to that of Majolica in the Mediterranean. A generally accepted theory of how the craft was transported to the New World suggests that Spanish monks from Puebla, Mexico requested that pottery makers from Talavera de la Reina, Spain be sent to Mexico to introduce the craft to the people of the region. The skills and techniques to manufacture Mexican talavera pottery eventually became standardized, so that all pieces produced could be trusted as fine, uniform quality functional and decorative art. Today, the craft continues to be practiced using these same high standards by official guilds, or “fabricas”, in Mexico. Mexican talavera pottery is made by combining and soaking two types of clay, then draining and filtering it of its impurities. Using a potter’s wheel or molds, artists create their pieces, dry them for eight weeks, and fire them at high-temperatures. Pieces are then dipped in glaze and hand decorated which, when fired a final time, produces creations of very rich color. Each fabrica, fourteen of which exist today in Mexico, mark each of their pieces with their names and registry numbers to certify their origin.

The origins of Mata Ortiz pottery makes a curious story. A man named Juan Quezada from the town of Mata Ortiz, Mexico, studied the pottery shards he discovered at Casas Grandes, the site of an ancient city. Through trial and error, he taught himself the technique of pottery-making that enabled him to mimic the pottery of the ancient culture. As his skills became further refined and his work more exquisite, demand increased and a new form of artwork appeared on the global market.

Today, some retailers are able to offer authentic certified Mexican talavera and Mata Ortiz pottery to art lovers. Galleria Elegante is an online retailer who specializes in sourcing, selling and carefully shipping pottery in North America. They proudly offer work from Uriarte Talavera, a fabrica founded in 1824, known as one of the best fabricas in the country. Collectors of Mexican fine art are able to decorate their homes with platters, urns, plates, canisters, jars, vases, tiles, salad bowls and serving dishes that would otherwise only be found locally in Mexico or in museums further North.

For more information, visit www.GalleriaElegante.com

Article Source: Galleria Elegante – Specializing in Online Retail of Mexican Talavera, Mata Ortiz Pottery

Published on www.ArticleMark.org