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Terracotta, also known as terra cotta or terra-cotta"Terracotta" is normal in British English, and perhaps globally more common in art history. "Terra-cotta" is more popular in general American English, but the Getty's online Art and Architecture Thesaurus prefers "terracotta". (; ; ), "Terracotta", p. 341, Delahunty, Andrew, From Bonbon to Cha-cha: Oxford Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases, 2008, OUP Oxford, , 9780199543694; book is a clay-based non-vitreous ceramicOED, "Terracotta"; "Terracotta", MFA Boston, "Cameo" database fired at relatively low temperatures. It is therefore a term used for earthenware objects of certain types, as set out below. "terracotta"
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Usage and definitions of the term vary, such as:
This article covers the sense of terracotta as a medium in sculpture, as in the Terracotta Army and Greek terracotta figurines, and architectural decoration. Neither pottery such as utilitarian earthenware nor East Asian and European sculpture in porcelain are covered.
Contemporary centres for terracotta figurines include West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu. In Bishnupur, West Bengal, the terracotta pattern–panels on the temples are known for their intricate details. The Bankura Horse is also very famous and belongs to the Bengal school of terracotta. Madhya Pradesh is one of the most prominent production centres of terracotta art today. The tribes of the Bastar district have a rich tradition. They make intricate designs and statues of animals and birds. Hand-painted clay and terracotta products are produced in Gujarat. The Aiyanar cult in Tamil Nadu is associated with life-size terracotta statues.Shyam Singh Rawat. A Historical Journey Of Indian Terracotta From Indus Civilization Up To Contemporary Art.
Traditional terracotta sculptures, mainly religious, also continue to be made. The demand for this craft is seasonal, reaching its peak during the harvest festival, when new pottery and votive idols are required. During the rest of the year, the makers rely on agriculture or some other means of income. The designs are often redundant as crafters apply similar reliefs and techniques for different subjects. Customers suggest subjects and uses for each piece.
To sustain the legacy, the Indian Government has established the Sanskriti Museum of Indian Terracotta in New Delhi. The initiative encourages ongoing work in this medium through displays terracotta from different sub-continent regions and periods. In 2010, the India Post Service issued a stamp commemorating the craft which shows a terracotta doll from the craft museum.
European medieval art made little use of terracotta sculpture, until the late 14th century, when it became used in advanced International Gothic workshops in parts of Germany.Schultz, 67-68 The Virgin illustrated at the start of the article from Bohemia is the unique example known from there. A few decades later, there was a revival in the Italian Renaissance, inspired by excavated classical terracottas as well as the German examples, which gradually spread to the rest of Europe. In Florence, Luca della Robbia (1399/1400–1482) was a sculptor who founded a family dynasty specializing in glazed and painted terracotta, especially large roundels which were used to decorate the exterior of churches and other buildings. These used the same techniques as contemporary maiolica and other tin-glazed pottery. Other sculptors included Pietro Torrigiano (1472–1528), who produced statues, and in England busts of the Tudor royal family. The unglazed busts of the Roman Emperors adorning Hampton Court Palace, by Giovanni da Maiano, 1521, were another example of Italian work in England.Grove, "Florence" They were originally painted but this has now been lost from weathering.
In the 18th-century unglazed terracotta, which had long been used for preliminary clay models or that were then fired, became fashionable as a material for small sculptures including portrait busts. It was much easier to work than carved materials, and allowed a more spontaneous approach by the artist.Draper and Scherf, 2-7 and throughout; Grove, 2, i, a and c Claude Michel (1738–1814), known as Clodion, was an influential pioneer in France.Well covered in Draper and Scherf, see index; Grove, 2, i, a and c John Michael Rysbrack (1694–1770), a Flemish portrait sculptor working in England, sold his terracotta modelli for larger works in stone, and produced busts only in terracotta.Grove, 2, i, c In the next century the French sculptor Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse made many terracotta pieces,Grove, 2, i, d but possibly the most famous is The Abduction of Hippodameia depicting the Greek mythological scene of a centaur kidnapping Hippodameia on her wedding day.
Many ancient and traditional roofing styles included more elaborate sculptural elements than the plain roof tiles, such as Chinese Imperial roof decoration and the antefix of western classical architecture. In India West Bengal made a speciality of terracotta temples, with the sculpted decoration from the same material as the main brick construction.
Architectural terracotta experienced a resurgence in western architecture starting in the mid-19th century.Grove, 2, ii Starting in Europe, architects designed elaborate buildings relying on terracotta detailing for their facades. James Taylor was one of the first producers of architectural terracotta to find success in the United States, using his experience manufacturing the material in England to guide his work in North America.
The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 led to increased demand for fireproof materials in urban settings, and helped drive the following push for architectural terracotta throughout North America. The material remained popular through the early 1900s, with its versatility allowing it to support a variety of architectural styles such as Rennaissance revival, neo-Gothic, and Art deco.
Emerging trends in Modernist architecture favoring the use of concrete and glass significantly reduced demand for architectural terracotta starting in the 1930s.Grove, 2, ii, c and d In the time since, the material has experienced a resurgence of interest, favored for work in postmodern and revivalist architectural styles.
The clays are usually fired to or near vitrification in order to survive continued exposure to harsh outdoor conditions such as freeze-thaw cycles and salt intrusion. Contrary to popular belief, glazing does not seal terracotta from water penetration and a non-porous clay body is necessary to prevent failure from these issues.
After drying, it is placed in a kiln or, more traditionally, in a pit covered with combustible material, then fired. The typical firing temperature is around , though it may be as low as in historic and archaeological examples.Grove, 1 During this process, the iron oxides in the body reacts with oxygen, often resulting in the reddish colour known as terracotta. However, color can vary widely, including shades of yellow, orange, buff, red, pink, grey or brown.
A final method is to carve fired bricks or other terracotta shapes. This technique is less common, but examples can be found in the architecture of Bengal on and mosques.
Unglazed terracotta is suitable for use below ground to carry pressurized water (an archaic use), for garden pots and irrigation or building decoration in many environments, and for oil containers, oil lamps, or ovens. Most other uses require the material to be glazed, such as tableware, sanitary piping, or building decorations built for freezing environments.
Terracotta will also ring if lightly struck, as long as it is not cracked.
Painted ( polychrome) terracotta is typically first covered with a thin coat of gesso, then painted. It is widely used, but only suitable for indoor positions and much less durable than fired colors in or under a ceramic glaze. Terracotta sculptures in the West were rarely left in their "raw" fired state until the 18th century.Grove, 2, i, a
Reusable mold-making techniques may be used for production of many identical pieces. Compared to marble sculpture and other stonework, the finished product is far lighter and may be further painted and glazed to produce objects with color or durable simulations of metal patina. Robust durable works for outdoor use require greater thickness and so will be heavier, with more care needed in the drying of the unfinished piece to prevent cracking as the material shrinks. Structural considerations are similar to those required for stone sculpture; there is a limit on the stress that can be imposed on terracotta, and terracotta statues of unsupported standing figures are limited to well under life-size unless extra structural support is added. This is also because large figures are extremely difficult to fire, and surviving examples often show sagging or cracks. The Yixian figures were fired in several pieces, and have iron rods inside to hold the structure together.Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine:
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China
Chinese sculpture made great use of terracotta, with and without glazing and color, from a very early date. The famous Terracotta Army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, 209–210 BCE, was somewhat untypical, and two thousand years ago were more common, in tombs and elsewhere. Later Buddhist figures were often made in painted and glazed terracotta, with the Yixian glazed pottery luohans, probably of 1150–1250, now in various Western museums, among the most prominent examples.Rawson, 140-145; Grove, 4 Brick-built tombs from the Han dynasty were often finished on the interior wall with bricks decorated on one face; the techniques included molded reliefs. Later tombs contained many figures of protective spirits and animals and servants for the afterlife, including the famous horses of the Tang dynasty; as an arbitrary matter of terminology these tend not to be referred to as terracottas.Rawson, 140-145,159-161
Africa
Precolonial West African sculpture also made extensive use of terracotta.H. Meyerowitz; V. Meyerowitz (1939). "Bronzes and Terra-Cottas from Ile-Ife". The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs 75 (439), 150–152; 154–155. The regions most recognized for producing terracotta art in that part of the world include the Nok culture of central and north-central Nigeria, the Ife-Benin cultural axis in western and southern Nigeria (also noted for its exceptionally naturalistic sculpture), and the Igbo people culture area of eastern Nigeria, which excelled in terracotta pottery. These related, but separate, traditions also gave birth to elaborate schools of bronze and brass sculpture in the area.Grove, 3
Europe
The ' Tanagra figurines were mass-produced mold-cast and fired terracotta figurines, that seem to have been widely affordable in the Hellenistic period, and often purely decorative in function. They were part of a wide range of Greek terracotta figurines, which included larger and higher-quality works such as the Aphrodite Heyl; the Romans too made great numbers of small figurines, which were often used in a religious context as cult statues or temple decorations. Etruscan art often used terracotta in preference to stone even for larger statues, such as the near life-size Apollo of Veii and the Sarcophagus of the Spouses. Campana reliefs are Ancient Roman terracotta , originally mostly used to make for the outside of buildings, as a cheaper substitute for stone.
Architecture
History
Architectural terracotta is a broad term encompassing a wide ranging variety of clay-based architectural elements such as wall reliefs, decorative roof elements, and architectural sculpture.
Differences from non-architectural terracotta
Unlike art and pottery terracotta, clays used for architectural terracotta can range from dark-bodied to light-bodied , ranging depending on what is required for their particular application.
Production
Prior to firing, terracotta clays are easy to shape. Shaping techniques include throwing, slip casting as well as others.'Technical Trends Of Cottage Ceramic Industries In Southwestern Nigeria' Journal of Visual Art and Design. Segun Oladapo Abiodun. Vol. 10, No. 1, 2018'Mechanisms To Improve Energy Efficiency In Small Industries. Part Two: Pottery In India And Khurja' A. Rath, DFID Project R7413. Policy Research International
Properties
Terracotta is not waterproof, but its porousness decreases when the body is surface-burnished before firing. Ceramic glaze can be used to decrease permeability and hence increase watertightness.
Advantages in sculpture
As compared to bronze sculpture, terracotta uses a far simpler and quicker process for creating the finished work with much lower material costs. The easier task of modelling, typically with a limited range of knives and wooden shaping tools, but mainly using the fingers,Grove, 2, i, a; Scultz, 167 allows the artist to take a more free and flexible approach. Small details that might be impractical to carve in stone, of hair or costume for example, can easily be accomplished in terracotta, and drapery can sometimes be made up of thin sheets of clay that make it much easier to achieve a realistic effect.Scultz, 67, 167
Gallery
See also
Notes
External links
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