Traditional ceramics
The pottery is assured by the Romanian people's continuity in this territory, the pottery tradition existing since the Dacian age to nowadays. The ceramics articles distinguish through the forms' elegance and the decoration. The traditional ceramics is shaped at the wheel. Its burning is usually made in horizontal stoves through two techniques: with oxidation and without oxidation. As a result it is obtained the red and the black ceramics. The folkloric pottery totalizes a series of traditional elements marked by the life conditions and by the evolution of the aesthetic taste. In Moldavia, a great variety of forms can be encountered where one may observe types characteristic to the old Greek-Roman ceramics. The decoration of the ceramics vases is sober and the chromatics is reduced to a few main colors, which gives the ceramics from this region, a special feature. Highly appreciated are the vases from black ceramics made at Marginea in Suceava County (black ceramics, stone polished) and Deleni (Iasi). In Maramures region, Lapusul Romanesc is a well-known area for its ceramics, considered to be a synthesis of the Romanian ceramics forms' evolution. Objects of black ceramics as well as objects of brush painted ceramics can be admired here. Another pottery centre in Maramures is at Sacel where it is made red unpolished ceramics. Still in Transylvania, centers known for the art of the ceramics are at Vama (Satu Mare), Leheceni and Corund (enameled ceramics, richly decorated) while in Wallachia, at Musatesti (13 km distance of Curtea de Arges), Valsanesti, Stroesti, Poienita, Obaga (in Oltenia).
But the most representative pottery centre from Romania is however at Horezu (Valcea County), a centre with permanent ethnographical exhibitions and traditional fairs as "Cocosul de Hurez" fair, annual organized (3-5 June) that hosts craftsmen from different centers of traditional ceramics from all over Romania.
The shapes made by the craftsmen from Valcea belong to certain repertoires that remind through profile of the archeological ceramics from the La Tene period as well as the ancient roman pottery (red no enameled ceramic).
Vama pottery
Corund pottery
Marginea pottery
The decoration of clay vases it’s a procedure that brings to attention several techniques, each specific to a center, and a simple tool kit but with a great possibility of plastic expression. At Horezu there is still a peculiar concern for decorating vases with polychrome enamels. The motives applied on the plates, pots, jars bring to attention solar symbols of ancient origins such as: double or simple spiral, the star with eight or six corners, the circle and the zigzag. The motives specific to the center of Horezu are: geometric, vegetal and zoomorphic. With the help of these motives the contemporary pottery craftsmen of Horezu make extremely varied compositions of great artistic beauty. The plastic solutions used by them are based on repetition, alternation and symmetry. Regarding the chromatic color scale the Horezu centre is defined on brown, green and blue on a white with yellow background. These days the Horezu center is the most vital center of the old ceramic centers of Valcea reuniting over 15 families of potters who with a variation of tools on a traditional way. Families like: Vicsoreanu, Iorga, Mischiu, Palosi, Popa, Bascu are names of reference in the area taking the fame of Horezu beyond the geographical limitations of the city. The vases done by them represent a landmark of value not only to their the regions of Valcea or Oltenia but also to the entire country.
Pottery technology was brought almost to perfection by the Cucutenians. Naturally, there are the differences in paste, firing, shaping, and decoration between the different categories of pottery. Storage vessels and the so called kitchen-ware are moulded more less carefully out of less purified clay, with lesser plastic qualities. Their shape is simpler. Even with these vessels, though, out of practical reasons, the interior is thoroughly polished, and the exterior is decorated with organised slips or even bas- and high reliefs. These vessels are fired at lower temperatures, seldom reaching 7000 C. Such vessels were used to store water, cereals, and other food supplies, but also clothing and rarely used objects. Fine pottery, a category in which we are including all painted recipients is shaped from more carefully purified paste, with sand, mica, or powdered splinters as temper. Small-size vessels are masterfully made out of a single lump of clay, while medium to large ones are made by coil-building.
Horezu pottery