This is a round sauce dish with lid and handle. It is made by a process that includes gathering of clay and hand modelling, followed by brightening with semi-precious stones and smoking with organic materials.
Rosa Salazar and Miguel Aviles grew up in clay, and clay brought them together. Their families were artisans and they sourced their income from selling the products they made. In fact, Rosa’s mother, Mrs. Ninfa Salazar, is one of the best shiners in La Chamba: she skillfully and patiently rubs the black pots that are characteristic of this town of Tolima to give them the finish that has made them famous. Rosa and Miguel both started crafting wares from a very young age. It was what they had to do to get out of poverty. Nowadays, their handcrafted objects are some of the most emblematic in Colombia.
Read the full interviewPhoto: ©Artesanías de Colombia
This is a round sauce dish with lid and handle. It is made by a process that includes gathering of clay and hand modelling, followed by brightening with semi-precious stones and smoking with organic materials.
Photo: ©Artesanías de Colombia
This round pot can be used to cook, especially for rice. It has two handles, one in each side. Its lid is decorated with the pointilism technique, which artisans make with a clay punch, marking each point with exact measures, until the desired design is obtained. The pot and its lid are black, because of the firing process.
Photo: ©Artesanías de Colombia
This traditional casserole and circular plate, which are ideal to serve foods such as soups and seafood, are black, as a result of the firing of the clay. The texture is smooth and bright. It is modelled by hand, brightened with semi-precious stones and smoked with organic materials.
Photo: ©Artesanías de Colombia
This round ceramic pot is made at La Chamba. Its black colour comes from being smoked with organic materials and it has a shining texture which comes from being brightened with semi-precious stones.