Who isn’t fascinated by art?
And who doesn’t want to include fancy art work into one’s home or office décor?
It is pretty ironic that when the society is getting all modernized and people
want everything to be futuristic, there is still one thing that we all want to
remain a bit old fashioned and mystic at times– Architecture. We want all
hi-tech gadgets to make our lives easier but we still crave for our homes to
feel a little rustic, which might be our attempt to reconnect with nature at
some levels. So if you too are trying to make your home feel a little earthy,
including old fashioned yet trendy Vietnamese pottery might just do the trick.
Culture
and History:
Vietnam has a very diverse
culture being the home for over 54 different ethnic groups. The country has
been described by many historians as the hub for pottery, sculptures, casting
and paintings. The pottery production itself has been dated back to the 15th
century and is most famous for the Blue
de Hue porcelain which mostly features a pearl as a part of flaming dragon
art symbolizing the emperor. Though Bat Trang Village is most famous for
potteries, the country has innumerable such villages with thousands of pottery
shops on either side narrow village lanes.
The potters in Vietnam have
incorporated Chinese, Cambodian and Indian culture in their art over the
centuries. In fact the famous blue Vietnamese
potteries are a result of a failed Chinese invasion into Vietnam.
Materials
used and the process: Kaolinite is the classical clay used by Vietnamese potters. It is a mixture of
Silica and Alumina and the country is blessed to have kaolinite naturally in
its soil.
In ancient times, potters used
to mould the clay and then subject it to high temperatures inside Vietnam’s
famous Dragon Kiln. These days though Dragon Kilns are rarely observed and are
almost obsolete, there are people who are advocating for their restoration all
over Vietnam. When heat is generated using wood and thus the process gives rise
to fly ash. Fly ash naturally gives the potteries an ash glaze, which if
undesired, the potteries are placed inside a covered container before heating.
Types
of potteries:
The Vietnamese have mastered
the art of pottery over centuries and have experimented with all possible
materials available. So now there is a plethora of material you can choose from
depending on where you want to place your pottery. Some of the common types
are:
·
Outdoor glazed pottery
·
Atlantic glazed and Atlantic blackclay pottery
·
Blackclay pottery.
·
Terracotta pottery
·
Cement lightweight pottery
·
Concrete pottery.
Though Vietnamese pottery
industry faced a down time in recent years, the market is picking up all over
again and some manufacturers have also taken their business online. With
efficient packing techniques and shipping facilities, Vietnamese potters are
bringing their art closer to those who seek such antiques. Bulk order and
customer friendly payment options are some of the other factors that are
contributing to the industry’s rapid growth.
No comments:
Post a Comment