Traditional Pottery Techniques in Romania
Romanian potters employ a variety of techniques that have been passed down through generations. From hand-building to wheel-throwing, each method requires specific skills and tools that master artisans have perfected over decades of practice. This article explores the distinctive techniques that make Romanian pottery unique.
A master potter from Horezu demonstrates traditional wheel-throwing techniques.
Clay Selection and Preparation
The journey of Romanian pottery begins with the selection of appropriate clay. Traditional potters often harvest clay from specific local deposits known for their quality and characteristics. Different regions utilize clays with varying mineral compositions, which influence both the working properties and the final appearance of the pottery.
Once harvested, the clay undergoes several preparation steps:
- Cleaning - Removing stones, roots, and other impurities
- Aging - Storing the clay in a moist environment, often underground, to enhance plasticity
- Kneading - Working the clay by hand to achieve consistent texture and remove air pockets
- Tempering - In some traditions, adding materials like sand, grog (crushed fired clay), or organic matter to improve working properties or firing characteristics
This meticulous preparation process, which can take weeks, ensures the clay has the ideal consistency and plasticity for forming.
Forming Techniques
Romanian potters use several traditional methods to shape their vessels:
Hand-Building
The oldest forming technique involves shaping vessels by hand without mechanical assistance. Common hand-building methods include:
- Pinching - Forming a ball of clay and pinching it into shape with fingers
- Coiling - Building up vessel walls with long, rope-like coils of clay that are smoothed together
- Slab building - Constructing vessels from flat sheets of clay
Hand-building techniques are still used for creating certain traditional forms, particularly decorative pieces and vessels with irregular shapes.
A traditional foot-powered potter's wheel in use in a Romanian workshop.
Wheel-Throwing
The potter's wheel was introduced to Romanian territories during Roman times, but it wasn't until the medieval period that it became widely used. Traditional Romanian potter's wheels come in two main varieties:
- Kick wheel - A foot-powered wheel where the potter sits and propels the wheel with their foot
- Stick wheel - A wheel that is set in motion with a stick and then allowed to spin freely while the potter works
Wheel-throwing allows potters to create symmetrical vessels with consistent wall thickness. The technique requires significant skill and practice to master, with apprentices often spending years learning to center clay properly and pull walls evenly.
Mold-Making
In some regional traditions, particularly for objects with repeat patterns or identical forms, potters use molds made from fired clay or plaster. The mold technique is especially useful for creating decorative elements that are applied to larger vessels.
"A potter's hands know more than their mind. The clay remembers every touch, every movement, and it speaks back to the potter in its own silent language."
Decoration Techniques
Romanian pottery is renowned for its distinctive decorative styles, which vary significantly by region. The main decoration techniques include:
Slip Decoration
Slip is a liquid clay mixture used to create surface decorations. Romanian potters use several slip techniques:
- Slip trailing - Applying lines of slip to create raised patterns on the surface
- Slip painting - Using colored slips to paint designs on the leather-hard clay
- Sgraffito - Covering the vessel with a layer of colored slip, then scratching through to reveal the clay body beneath
The famous Horezu pottery utilizes an elaborate slip decoration technique where designs are applied using a cow horn with a goose feather attached (known as "corn cu gaiță").
Traditional decoration tools including the "corn cu gaiță" (horn with feather) used in Horezu pottery.
Incising and Stamping
Many Romanian pottery traditions feature decoration created by carving into the leather-hard clay with wooden or bone tools. Stamps made from wood or fired clay are also used to create repeating patterns.
Glazing
Glazing traditions vary widely across Romania. Some regions, like Corund, are known for their colorful lead glazes in blues, greens, and browns. Others, like Marginea, produce unglazed black pottery. Traditional glazes include:
- Lead glazes - Historically common but now often replaced with safer alternatives
- Ash glazes - Made from wood ash and used primarily on utilitarian vessels
- Salt glazes - Created by introducing salt into the kiln during firing
Most traditional Romanian pottery features glazing only on the interior for utilitarian pieces, with the exterior left unglazed or decorated with slips.
Firing Techniques
The transformation of clay into ceramic happens through firing, and Romanian potters have developed several traditional firing methods:
Open Firing
The most ancient technique involves arranging the pottery in a simple pit or on level ground and covering it with fuel (wood, straw, or dung). This method typically reaches temperatures of 700-900°C and produces earthenware pottery.
Kiln Firing
Traditional Romanian kilns are typically wood-fired and come in several designs:
- Updraft kilns - Heat rises vertically through the ware
- Downdraft kilns - Heat circulates throughout the chamber before exiting
- Multi-chamber kilns - Used for specific effects like reduction firing
A traditional wood-fired kiln used for firing Romanian pottery, reaching temperatures up to 1000°C.
Reduction Firing
The black pottery of Marginea is created through a reduction firing process. After the pottery reaches a high temperature, the kiln is sealed, and wet materials (often sawdust or leaves) are introduced to create a smoky, oxygen-deprived atmosphere. This causes carbon to be deposited in the clay body, turning it black.
Special Regional Techniques
Horezu Double-Slip Technique
The UNESCO-recognized pottery of Horezu uses a distinct technique where patterns are created in layers. First, the vessel is coated with a white slip. Then, colored slip decorations are applied using the cow horn tool. Finally, fine details are created by scratching through the colored slip to reveal the white layer beneath.
Corund Blue Glaze Technique
Potters in Corund are known for their distinctive blue-green glazes, achieved through the use of copper oxide. The application technique involves dipping, pouring, and brushing multiple layers to create depth and variation in the glaze.
Marginea Burnishing Technique
Before firing, Marginea black pottery is burnished using smooth stones or wooden tools. This compresses the clay surface, creating a slight sheen that is enhanced during the reduction firing process.
The techniques used in Romanian pottery represent centuries of experimentation, refinement, and cultural exchange. While modern tools and materials have become available, many Romanian potters still adhere to traditional methods, valuing the connection to ancestral practices and the unique qualities that these techniques produce. The survival of these traditional skills is a testament to their effectiveness and the cultural importance attached to maintaining authentic craftsmanship in an increasingly industrialized world.
