Fayoum hand-painted ceramic bowl · Palm frond medium

Hand-painted Egyptian ceramic bowl from the Fayoum Pottery School, Tunis village. Wheel-thrown from Nile Valley clay, the medium footed form is decorated with delicate palm frond motifs in sage green and navy on an ivory ground, with a warm terracotta base and rim. Generous enough for salads, fruit, or as a centrepiece decorative bowl. 

The Craft. Made from clay sourced from the Nile Valley in Aswan, these bowls are wheel-thrown and shaped into the footed form before being left to dry. Each bowl is decorated entirely by hand with palm frond motifs painted in confident, flowing strokes of sage green and navy - a motif drawn from the surrounding oasis landscape. A clear glaze is applied over the entire piece before kiln firing, sealing both the hand-painted exterior and the interior in a single firing that fixes colour, surface and form.

The Heritage. Although pottery-making was widespread in Egypt during Pharaonic times, by the late 20th century decreasing demand had led to the craft's near disappearance. Life in the farming village of Tunis in the verdant Fayoum oasis took a dramatic turn in the 1980s when Swiss-born potter Evelyne Porret made the village her home. Together with her husband Michel Pastore, she opened the Fayoum Pottery School, inspiring the village children to tap into their creative potential. Today, those students have opened their own workshops, exhibiting true artistic talent and reverence for their mentor whilst keeping the ancient craft alive.

The Maker. Mahmoud Yousef eagerly joined the Fayoum Pottery School at age of ten, though his love of clay began earlier when he played on his family's farm, using clay to model the rich wildlife of the oasis. He continues to work with clay today, as stylised animal and vegetal motifs, particularly the jolly donkey, keep springing from his steady hand.