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ROMANIAN POTTERY
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Pots and jugs; plates and cups; vases and pitchers; toys and whistles;
bricks and tiles; all are made of clay. Mixing clay with water and
shaping it is one of the oldest man pastimes and occupations of man.
For thousands of years mankind enjoyed, used and benefited from those
little clay objects. After so many years, pottery is still in use.
Lots Many of us are fascinated by the pottery's large variety of forms
and colors which dazzle the eye and bring joy to our hearts.
This booklet presents a few ceramic objects which that can be found
in România. We start we a short introduction, then we present
the objects by time period and by location:
1. Primitive, antiques
2. Central Transylvania (Korund, Corond)
3. South Romania: Oltenia (Huzeru, Oboga) & Muntenia (Pisc)
4. Western Romania: Banat, Crisana, Oas, Maramures
5. Eastern Romania: Moldova
Historical
Preview of the Romanian Pottery
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The Gumelnita Culture (6200-5000 BC) developed
South and North of the Danube River, both in Romania and Bulgaria.
It is known for the pots decorated through incisions, the main motif
being the spiral. The clay is black and the decorations are white.
Today, the main center which createing creating pottery in the old
Gumelnita style is Vadastra.
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The Hamangia Culture (5250-
4500 BC) is mostly known for its human-shaped figurines;
it developed between The Danube River and Black See Sea (present day
Dobrogea.)
The most famous Hamangia objects are the statues "The
Thinker" and "Woman Resting", which today can be seen
in the "Constanta Museum of Archeologhy Archeology."
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Cucuteni Culture (5500-2750 BC) is
named after a village in Moldova. This culture society is also known
as Trypillian or Tripolye culture. Cucuteni's specific decorations
were rounded shapes, like such as the spiral or the meander, also
some triangles, all painted in red, with black outlines on the red
background.
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Boian Culture (4300-3500 BC) it is primarily
found along the lower course of the Danube River in what is now Romania
and Bulgaria. Boian's pots were usually black decorated with straight
and zig-zag zigzag lines.
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"Cultura Gârla Mare" developed
around 1500 B.C. in the plains of Western Romania
and Eastern Hungary. It appears that the pots were formed by hand,
without a potter's wheel. The pots were reinforced with bands of clay.
The decorations were indentations in the bands. A similar technique
of reinforcing large pots with bands of clay was employed in the Austro-Hungarian
Empire until the late 1800s.
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"Cultura Basarabi" is considered an
early Dacian culture. Basarabi is a village close to Bucharest. Basarabi
Culture developed around 700 BC in Muntenia and
South Transylvania.
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Cultura LaTene Târzie (Late LaTene) reached
the plains of Western Romania and Eastern Hungary until 100
A.D. We are presenting a bowl, painted in two colors.
It was found in Pecica, Banat.
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Early Christianity, 400 A.D. Legend says that
Saint Andrew was the first to preach Christianity in present day Romanian
territory. This amphora, of Greek influence, was made of yellow-reddish
clay and was found in Tirighina. The tip is missing. (Source: "Christian
Art in Romania" page 46. Book published by Romanian Orthodox
Church, 1979.)
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Early Christianity, 600 A.D Pilgrim's ceramic flask,
. Source: Christian Art in Romania, page 238, book published
in 1979 by Romanian Orthodox Church,
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Early Christianity, 600 A.D. Ceramic Oil Lamp, with the
sign of the cross. Source: Christian Art in Romania, page
248, book published in 1979 by Romanian Orthodox Church,
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Early Medieval Time. Unglazed Water Jug,
Garvan-Galati, 900 -1100 A.D. (drawn by hand
after a piece at Muzeul de Arta Bucuresti)
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Modern time Unglazed Water Jug, Baragan,
2000 A.D. (Common all over the Baragan)
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Medieval Time.Wine Cup: 1400
A.D. Polished ceramic, then glazed (light green)
Drawn by hand after a piece at Muzeul de Istorie Bucuresti.
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About Romanian
Pottery
The shapes and decorations of the traditional Romanian pottery are
not exclusive…??.., similar shapes and decoration could be found
in the neighboring countries and only the trained eye can distinguish
the tiny differences that make a certain pottery piece, let's say,
either definitely Romanian or definitely Hungarian, or either definitely
Romanian or definitely Ukrainian.
Nowadays in Romania most ceramic objects are produced in factories.
However, today there is a revival in Romanian pottery. There are several
places were pottery is still made in the traditional way, such as
Marginea, near Suceava, Moldova; Korund or Corond in Central Transylvania;
Vadastra, Oboga, and Hurezu in in Oltenia, South Romania; Cucuteni,
Moldova; Binis in Banat, Pisc near Bucharest, and Vama in NW Transylvania.
Every year there are several potters fairs (targ) in Romania: "Targul
Olarilor" in Sibiu in the late summer; "Targul Mestesugarilor"
in Bucharest, beginning of July, Sighisoara, and Turda; Targul de
Ceramica Cucuteni 5000 in Iassy in July.
An interesting thing is that one can visit a museum and see a valuable
artifact, perhaps a plate two or three hundred years old or a pot
three thousand years old. A few blocks away, in the potters market,
one can see the same plate or the same pot, same shape, same size
and very similar decoration produced by a modern potter, which uses
the techniques he inherited from his ancestors. Probably that explains
why the pottery pieces made by hand and hand-painted, in spite of
their little imperfections, are sought both by tourists looking for
souvenirs and by pottery collectors. Not to mention the local people
who just might need a plate to decorate their kitchen cupboard or
perhaps a housewife need a big pot to bake stuffed cabbages.
We present the Romanian pottery in five chapters:
1. Primitive, antiques
2. Central Transylvania (Korund, Corond)
3. South Romania: Oltenia (Huzeru, Oboga) & Muntenia (Pisc)
4. Western Romania: Banat, Crisana, Oas, Maramures
5. Eastern Romania: Moldova
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