19 Feb 2021 Mexican & Nicaraguan Pottery

Mexico and Nicaragua are Latin American countries known for their artistic handicrafts that display their respective cultures. Craft Montaz offers several types of Mexican and Nicaraguan ceramics that make for exquisite home decor items. The decorative plate featured here is Mexican Talavera pottery, a form of Majolica, which refers to all types of handmade enameled earthenware. This style was first developed in ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt and was further refined in China where it became very popular. Mexican craftsmen have been producing Talavera pottery since the 16th century. This art form has evolved from ancient cultures and influenced the production of pottery in Mexico resulting in the exquisite Talavera pottery that is available today.

Talavera Style Wall Plate

This gorgeous Talavera plate displays classic Talavera colors with a hand painted design. As a decorative piece, it can be hung up on a wall or would sit well on your living room table as a centerpiece. Its elaborate colorful patterns will add a pop of color and Mexican festivity to your home. Talavera is a type of majolica earthenware that is fired at extremely high temperatures producing a very durable product. The crafted pieces are baked in an oven at 850C, which turns the grayish colored clay into the well known brick colored pottery known as “jahuete”. Then, one by one the pieces are dipped into an earthenware glaze, which ultimately gives them their characteristic brilliance and color. Each piece is then hand decorated using colors prepared from mineral pigments. Afterward, the pieces are once again fired in the oven for many hours, this time at 1050C, resulting in a beautiful work of art.

Hopi Style Vase

Another Mexican ceramic style, Southwest pottery, is one of the most distinctive Native American artistic traditions. Southwest Indian designs are instantly recognizable and have saturated the American mainstream, their characteristic geometric patterns visible everywhere. Southwestern Indian art forms have not only influenced the popular culture of the region at large, but they also remain as thriving, unbroken artistic traditions of the native people who first created them. The vase displayed here depicts the Hopi style. Its conical neck and round bottomed base gives it a beautiful shape like an inverted bell. Display it on a shelf or living room table to add Mexican artistic style to your home.

Blue Floral Vase

Pottery-making has been a part of Nicaraguan culture since pre-Columbian times. Most of Craft Montaz’s Nicaraguan pottery comes from San Juan de Oriente, a small village near Nicaragua’s capital, Managua and is entirely handmade. Among the various styles, individual pieces may be painted in the traditional fashion, using natural mineral oxides for the different colors, or they may be accented by scoring or etching the outer layer of soft clay or even pecking to remove a portion of the outermost layer to produce a 3-dimensional effect. The blue vase featured here displays a beautiful blue tone, paired with a black design, and intricate white etches. The vase can be used to decorate your living area or can be put in the garden to add an earthly touch.

Green Vase with Pedestal

Featuring designs reminiscent of ancient civilizations, this beautifully-crafted spherical vase has a smooth finish. The marbled red coloring and exotic green tone makes it the perfect addition to any modern-day living room or office. Perched on a pedestal with a tropical scene and tucan etched onto the side, this is a great example of handcrafted Nicaraguan pottery.

For more information and products, visit craftmontaz.com!