TERRECOTTE and MADE IN ITALY
Italian terracotta, and in particular the Tuscan one, is famous all over the world, both for the terracotta floors and for the furnishings and garden accessories, but not only.
The clay is extracted from the quarries, is then sieved to make it as pure as possible and then ground and reduced to powder.
But what is special about Italian terracotta like that of Impruneta?
First of all the type of earth: a geologically special soil from which a durable clay is extracted, with a chemical composition that is particularly resistant to both high and low temperatures.
Terracottas from Impruneta are practically indestructible, as well as aesthetically of excellent taste.
Terrecotte: the processing
The earth is simply mixed with water and after about 20 minutes the clay of its typical dark gray color appears, ready to be worked. Tuscan clay and especially that of Impruneta has a coarse grain and is not smooth to the touch: it is therefore more difficult to model, but the rough effect it creates on the vase gives it a unique appearance.
Obviously, in addition to the good quality of the clay, the hands of skilled craftsmen are fundamental, able to work it, decorate it, enhance it and cook it at the right point inside the furnaces.
The clay processing can be done by hand with the dovetail method: the “fornacino” places clay “worms” to rise around the circumference of the vase or on the outside of a mold from which the vase will take shape. Other processing methods involve the use of a lathe or plaster casts into which the clay is placed, then modeled to the right thickness: you can also wait a day until it is completely dry and then remove it from the mold.
Once ready, the clay object is possibly decorated, dried in the air and, once dry, it is baked in large ovens, now powered by methane gas. It takes about 24 hours to reach the 1000 degrees required for cooking and the same number of hours to bring down the temperature inside the oven. After firing, the terracotta artifact appears of the typical red color and to be cooled it is repeatedly wet.