Ceramic serving bowl · Horezu · Cobalt blue

A large ceramic bowl featuring a warm terracotta exterior and striking cobalt blue glazed interior with a subtle ancestral peacock motif. Made by hand on a potter's wheel, this versatile piece showcases the UNESCO-protected heritage of Horezu pottery. The generous form and contrasting glazes make it ideal for serving salads, fruit, or as a centrepiece that honours centuries of Romanian craftsmanship.

The Craft. Made on a potter's wheel from clay taken from the nearby hills, these bowls are painted with dyes made from local minerals and clays, using a technique called jirăvire, through which the artisan connects, with the help of a traditional tool made of cow horn and goose feather, the edges of a spiral with its centre while the painting is still wet. The motifs used in the decoration are symbols of the ancestral world vision of the Romanian people. Featured on this bowl is the peacock tail, symbol of divine protection. Around twenty-five artisans living in the village of Horezu today continue this traditional style of ceramic using the same methods and techniques passed down by their ancestors for hundreds of years.

The Heritage. Horezu pottery is recognised as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The development of the Horezu village is intimately linked to the building of the Horezu Monastery in the 18th century, a masterpiece of the style known as brâncovenesc. According to legend, the builders hired for its construction were forced, for fear of the Ottomans, to work only at night when the owls (huhurezii) were singing. The school of arts established at the monastery may have contributed to the development of artistic pottery in the village.

The Maker. Constantin (Costel) and Georgeta Popa are third-generation master ceramicists. As a young boy, Costel learned the craft from his parents and his wife, Georgeta, perfected her decorative skills after marrying Costel. Craftsmanship to Costel is a path to the past, to the identity of a people that has distinguished itself from generation to generation through art and tradition.