clay pottery

A three-dimensional turtle strolls across the sand in this decorative plate. Handcrafted by Chorotega pottery artisan Ilsa Chavarría of the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica, the round decorative plaque is the natural color of the ceramic in the center and bordered with a dark red curved line motif rimmed in bands of orange and black. Maguey fiber cord is threaded through the top of the plaque for easy display.

Chorotega pottery is completely handmade with traditional techniques passed down through the generations for 3,000 years, and one of the last surviving cultural elements of the Chorotega people indigenous to Costa Rica’s Guanacaste region and Nicoya Peninsula. Chorotega pottery is made from local clay mixed with a very fine freshwater sand. The artisans shape the clay on hand-operated pottery wheels and hand-polish the art piece to give it a smooth texture and luster. Designs are etched by hand and the pieces are painted with natural pigments made from pulverized local colored rocks mixed with water, then fired in traditional wood-burning brick kilns. The result is a beautiful, earthen pottery unique to this region.