Black 3D Frog Pot Nicaragua Art Pottery San Juan de Oriente Original Vase Juan For Sale -

This stylized Nicaraguan 3 dimensional frog pot is from my personal collection. I purchased it new in the 1990\'s. If you look at the photographs carefully, you can see that the frog\'s head and body stand out from the body of the pot giving it a 3D effect. Also, the softly pointed ends are not at the same level, the end where the front legs are is higher than the end where the back legs are.AboutJuan Paulino MartinezWhile most of the people of the village of San Juan de Oriente are involved in pottery making, and among them are many talented craftsmen, there are a few artists that stand out as true masters of the art. These are the best that represent the range of pottery making styles and capture both the traditions of Nicaraguan pottery and also excel in artistic quality. Juan Paulino Martinez is one of these artists. Juan Paulino Martinez has a rather large show room at the entrance to his home where dozens of his most recent works stand on display on simple wooden shelves that line the walls. Juan has been making pottery for the past 20 plus years. He learned his craft from his parents and these day produces many of the traditional designs as well as some pre-Columbian styles. Additionally, he produces extremely intricate geometric works with exacting detail. His shop, as is typical of most of the artists, is located directly behind his house and he sells most recent works out of the front room of his home. Among his awards are a number of special mentions that he has received in both local and national pottery contests.
Measurements: 4 1/2\" Tall x 7\" from end to end x 4 3/4\" wide
Questions??? Please ask before purchasing to avoid any misunderstandings.
Comes from a smoke free home.
THE POTTERS OF SAN JUAN de ORIENTE. A small village nestled in the hills between the volcanoes Masaya and Mombacho, San Juan de Oriente has been known for centuries for its beautiful pottery, its ceramic tradition dating back to 1,000 BC.The ceramics of old were made by coil, decorated with locally found mineral oxides and then fired in pits in the ground. Today some of the pottery of San Juan is still made using the coil method, but most is done on a kick-wheel. The pieces are dried and decorated, then low-fired in beehive style adobe kilns using wood fires for fuel.

Making the Pottery It is still common to see ox carts carrying clay in burlap sacks from the fields into the town of San Juan de Oriente. Once the clay arrives at a workshop the bags are emptied into a hole and water added to soften it. Usually the clay is workable after a day of \"soaking\" and at this point sand is added. Then, to soften and blend clay, it is placed on top of the empty sacks and stomped on. This can take hours. Once sufficiently pliable, the clay is \"wedged\" into handful size chunks so that rocks and roots can be cleaned out. Following this stage, the clay is once more stomped by foot, which can take one person up to two days before the clay is ready to place on the potter\'s wheel.

After the pieces have been molded or \"thrown\" on the wheel the outer surface is burnished to detect any small stones or roots that are still in the clay. The burnishing process calls for a hard, flat instrument, so usually stones found at the beach are used for this purpose. Once such imperfections are removed, the surface of the pot is burnished again.

The pots are then smoothed by hand and black, liquid clay (called slip, which comes from El Sauce near Leon in Northern Nicaragua) is painted onto the pot. Known locally as engove (engobe), it is mixed with water and strained repeatedly over a period of days, resulting in very fine and soft black clay. Some artisans say that the clay softens hands and makes an excellent facemask. Various layers of black clay are applied to each piece. The pieces are then put into bags to dry for up to seven days (depending on the season) and burnished yet again.The designs are made using colored oxides and applied with paintbrushes made from wood or, commonly, the recycled plastic shell of a ballpoint pen and hair left over from a child\'s haircut. Depending on the intricacy of the design, the painting can take hours, each applied color undergoing still another hand polishing process. When all the painting is complete, the pot is set out in the open air and can take anywhere from two days to a week to dry. The outlines of the design are often carved, defined in a relief style by using a sharp instrument to delicately pick off only the top-most layer of clay, intentionally leaving the rough surface exposed. This tool can be made from the spokes of a bicycle wheel or the spines of a broken umbrella that have been sharpened by a stone.Finishing the pot requires baking it and, many artists have constructed their own kilns out of adobe bricks and other local materials to create a basic, wood-burning oven in the traditional bee hive configuration. The process of \"firing\" the pots begins with two hours of low heat, followed by three hours of gradual increases in temperature. Once the maximum temperature is reached, it is maintained for an additional three to four hours, for a total firing time of about nine hours. After the kiln has cooled - usually a whole day later - the pots are removed and shined with a soft cloth.

It is an exhaustive process, but one that yields some of the world\'s most magnificent and collectible pottery.

This small community of farmers began experimenting with the pottery several decades ago. Over the last 30 years, the pottery of this community has passed through several phases and has evolved into something quite eclectic. In the last decade many of the potters from this community have received worldwide recognition for their work. The pieces are inspired by traditional pre-Columbian designs, as well as, outside influences from the array of international potters that have participated in Potters for Peace exchanges. The potters use mineral oxides, mainly chrome, cobalt, and iron to color the vases. They fire them at low temperatures in brick kilns. Most the artisans in this village work in small family groups. Once a year San Juan de Oriente holds a pottery competition and the potters work long hours to produce a unique award-winning entry.

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On Feb-16-17 at 15:07:37 PST, seller added the following information:

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