French Glazed Earthenware Centerpiece, 1950s

Original and graceful French table centerpiece; the object was completely handmade, the craftsman used terracotta in its plastic state, turned the base and a circular top above it with a treadle lathe, then executed with masterful skill and infinite patience an interweaving of terracotta threads, as if making a wicker basket; he then assembled it all, creating the table centerpiece in the desired shape; the artifact was placed to dry for a long time so that the residual water could evaporate from the clay; once the drying process was finished, the object was finished and sponged with water to remove imperfections and increase its porosity, then placed in a kiln for an initial firing of about 12 hours at 1000 degrees centigrade (cookie firing), which was followed by a subsequent gradual cooling of the kiln that occurred naturally by heat dissipation; at this point the object was subjected to the ancient technique of enameling, which was done manually by immersion in an aqueous solution of pink enamel; this step requires a great deal of skill, since it is important that the enamel be evenly deposited on the surface. A final kiln firing was then carried out to permanently fix the dye. The centerpiece was made between 1950 and 1955 in an artisan workshop in southern France near the town of Uzes; this area is famous for this type of workmanship of the particular local terracotta; beautiful and original multicolored pieces of varied and imaginative shapes were created, traditional and timeless decorative pottery, such as classic woven baskets and Provencal-style serving dishes; usually the colors were earth tones, mainly cream, green, pink, brown and red, and the finishes were a glossy or matte glaze; the workmanship was strictly handmade by very skilled artisan artists. Production was done by many small or very small companies so it is difficult, if not impossible, to find pieces with trademarks. Measures diameter cm.23, height cm.11.The centerpiece is in good condition.