WHAT IS TERRA-COTTA POTTERY & WHATS IT’S HISTORY?
terra-cotta, (Italian: “POTTERY”) literally, any kind of fired clay. Pottery may be the oldest artwork of human beings. As far back as the Neolithic Age (more than 8,000 years ago), people began mixing clay and water then baking it until it held its shape. Ancient people attached the word 'pottery' to their discovery and used it to create various vessels and tools to improve the quality of life. Over the course of thousands of years, pottery became dominant wares in people's daily life: used to cook, to store things, and to hold cuisine or waters as dishes.
As time passed, the technique became more and more consummate. Different kinds of pottery appeared in different times and regions. Yangshao Culture, 5,000 - 7,000 years ago to today, developed a technique for painted pottery. Qujialing Culture and Longshan Culture, dating back about 4,000 years ago, were known for their black pottery. During the Shang Dynasty (16th - 11th century BC) bronze vessels grew into somewhat of a status symbol; common people, though, still used traditional clay pottery. Workshops of grey and white potters took the artistic features of bronze wares and decorated their articles ornately.
From the Warring States Period through the Han Dynasty, the art and culture of pottery thrived. In addition to creating everyday pieces, pottery beasts and warriors were created and buried with the grandees. The Terra Cotta Warriors, discovered in Xian, are the finest representatives of artworks of that time. Visitors to the Warriors are continually amazed by the grandeur and elaborate displays of the well-preserved army. During the Three Kingdoms Period (220 - 280), the forging technique of porcelain gradually replaced traditional pottery handiwork.
Another fine example of beautifully crafted pottery is the tricolor glazed pottery of the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907). The pieces were created by adding various metals oxide and baking at a low temperature. The glazed pottery would appear to be light yellow, reddish brown, shamrock or light green. The most popular were those of yellow, brown and green. The sculpting of figures, animals or daily appliances was amazingly in accord with the characteristics of Tang art - graceful and lively. Preferred by many foreigners to the region, the tricolor glazed pottery had been transported all over the world.WHAT IS CLAY?
Clay is very fine particles of dirt which float in a stream or river and then sink to the bottom, where they press on each other and stick together. You generally find clay along the banks of a river or stream, wherever the river is pulling dirt down off the mountains or hills and dropping it in a quiet part of the river lower down. So people who live in river valleys, like the Harappans or the Egyptians, generally can find a lot of clay. What is so cool about clay (besides that it is easy and cheap to get) is that it is squishy when it is wet, so you can make it any shape you like, and then it dries hard in the sun, pretty fast, as the water evaporates out. If you dry clay in the sun you can make it soft again just by throwing it in a bucket of water and waiting a week or two.
But if you put your clay pot or sculpture in a fire, or in an oven (an oven for clay is called a kiln) and bake it for a while very hot, the clay is even harder and it will not get soft again even if you put it in water for a long time. This is called firing. People first began to fire clay about 6000 BC.But potters also used fired clay to make dishes and plates and cups and cookpots. Builders generally fired their roof tiles, which had to be more waterproof than the walls.
Their are many famous potteries in market some of them are given below
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