El Rauached terracotta jug (Tunisia)

Terracotta carafe brought back from a trip to Tunisia. Made by one of the potters from the village of El Raouached in Tunisia (Gafsa region). Initially utilitarian, this pottery is slowly beginning to become known thanks to the success of the village of Sejnane located in the north of the country. The potters extract the clay, work it and shape it on the ground using the coil technique. The object is then polished with shells or stones before being cooked in a brazier dug into the ground and covered with foliage and...dried cow dung. Given this type of cooking which does not reach the heat of an oven, the earth remains porous and the object cannot therefore contain water except with a soliflore. It is a purely decorative object. Still because of its very primitive firing, it remains more fragile than kiln-fired pottery. Which explains the chip on the beak. The differences in color around the edge of the carafe are due to the play of flames on the object during cooking. It’s a very beautiful object with great energy. Hand shaping and cooking over a wood fire make the carafe unique. It is very heavy because it is thick.

Ref. : HWG9BD6F