The town of Horezu, situated in the southwest part of the country, in Valcea County, is considered one of the most representative places of Romania in terms of traditional crafts and folklore.
Since 2005 Horezu pottery is on UNESCO list as, even today, the craftsmen are using exactly the same techniques and raw materials as hundreds of years ago. Once you get here, you will discover not only a community strongly attached to this art but also, a community eager to share its knowledge and secrets.
The most famous decorative figure is the Horezu rooster, a symbol of soul resurrection and immortality, of light and power over the forces of darkness. And each year, in the first week of June, this beloved figure is proudly celebrated in a festival suggestively named the Horezu Rooster. There are other traditional symbols. The Tree of Life symbolizes the eternal youth and abundance. The Bird represents the souls’ guide after death. The Lost Path makes reference to the trip a soul makes until reaches the other realm. The Flower symbolizes joy and happiness. But the diversity of the symbols is far much greater especially because pottery vessels played an important role both in wedding and funeral ceremonies. That’s why on Horezu pottery you will also see many old Christian symbols like the cross, the snake, the vine, the spring and the star.
In Romania, the potter is considered the symbol of God as he recreates, with each vessel, the primordial act of creation, giving life to clay. So, if you would also like to unleash your divine creative power, come to Horezu and let yourself guided in this art by some of the most gifted potters in the world and discover the beauty of Romanian pottery.
The pottery is shaped using the traditional kick-wheel. Usually men form the objects and women give the finishing touch, decorating them. The clay pottery is first decorated with simple symbols and motifs, from which the most popular being the Horezu Rooster – Cocosul de Hurez.
The colors are natural and the tools used are conventional too: cow horns and the quill (goose feather). The most common colors are brown, red, orange and green. After decoration the pottery is burned in traditional kilns made of clay bricks and twigs. At last, the pots are covered with a special enamel material and backed for the second time.
The color of the pottery is given by special clays brought from hills in the village (white earth) and from hills in the neighbor villages (red and brown). They clay is prepared through a traditional technique and not used immediately. The clay needs to yeast for a while – big clay balls are broken into small particles through a wetting-drying process.
The art most representative of Romanian tradition www.arta-ceramica.ro
