Most important is the way
clay is shaped. What is worth mentioning is that our clay is one of the finest and richest
ever to be found (containing both quartz and feldspar) and our pottery is essentially
hand-made. Thus, if you ever handle one of our articles you will definitely smell the
scent of clay and ultimately imagine the steps whereby a piece of clay is moulded into a
shape. Clay is essentially shaped by throwing it on a potter’s wheel. The wheel is
simply a round piece of board set horizontally on top of a revolving spindle, the speed of
which is controlled by the potter. The latter, who is known as the ‘thrower’,
throws a lamp of clay on the wheel, which is itself turned by the potter’s feet. As
the wheel spins he fashions the desired article with skilled hands. He works up from the
base, shaping the walls. His fingers, bent in a peculiar manner, touch the top of the
bowl, and it rises into a gorgeous vase. If he is making a jug or a jar, one or more
handles are fashioned and fastened on with liquid clay. Then, he puts them to dry
outshine, usually in a cave with a constant temperature of 20 to 25 degrees Celsius. Three
or four days later, the pots are put into a typically, but highly effective, kiln. During
the first two days, they are fairly heated. Thereafter, they are baked at a temperature of
about 1100 degrees Celsius.
This manufacturing method of our articles, as well as their composition have
endowed them with exceptional climatic adaptation capacities. In fact, in addition to
their convenience to the high temperatures of the Mediterranean south bank, our articles
have survived the cold and hard climate of northern regions, such us those of Scandinavian
countries, where we have been on exhibition many times. On investigation, we learned
belatedly that they are frost-proof. A scrutiny of the composition of our articles
demonstrated that one basic ingredient is Salt. The old potters of the town, to whom we
owe much of our knowledge of pottery, believe that the function of salt is principally to
make the items white, white being the most favourite colour. By no means have they thought
that salt has a certain climatic function.
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