Terracotta and its history

Terracotta and its history

Terracotta and its history

Terracotta is an unglazed, clay-based ceramic, recognizable by its natural brownish-red colour and porous surface. Most commonly used to produce plant pots, teracotta is also widely used to make a broad range of other objects, such as figurines and sculptures. Other uses of the material include water and waste-water pipes, with terra cotta also being used for surface embellishment in the construction of buildings.In order to produce terracotta, an appropriately refined clay is part-dried and then cast, molded or hand-worked into the required shape. A further drying period follows, before it is placed in a kiln, or on top of a combustible material within a pit, where it is then fired. Once the firing process is complete, the kiln is slowly cooled.In its unglazed form, the material is not waterproof but it is still suitable for uses such as the creation of garden ware, ovens and in-ground piping.In comparison to stoneware, fired terracotta is considered a weak material. Interestingly, uncracked terracotta will produce a light ringing sound if lightly struck, whereas the sound produced by striking other wares is likely to be much brighter. When used for the production of garden objects, the robustness and thickness required of the terracotta means that special care must be taken when drying it, to prevent cracking.Whilst most commonly found in an array of brownish-orange shades, other colours of terracotta include grey, yellow and even pink. Indeed terrocotta can also be used to simulate other materials.The use of terracotta for sculpture, pottery, roof shingles and bricks dates back to ancient times, when the drying process of early clay sculptures was achieved by leaving the object outside to bake naturally in the sun. Later methods involved placing the sculptures within the ashes of open hearths to harden. Today kilns are used similar to those used for pottery today, however notably - terracotta is only considered to be a ceramic material once it has been fired to a high temperature.Perhaps the most famous use of terracotta in history, is Emperor Qin Shi Huang of China's Terracotta Army', which was built during 2010-2009 BC.Found by a group of farmers digging a water-well in China's Shaanxi Province during 1974, the Terracotta Army consists of over 8000 terracotta sculptures of soldiers, chariots, horses, acrobats and musicians, amongst others. Collectively the army is essentially a type of funerary art which was buried with the First Emperor of Qin. It is believed that Qin ordered the creation of his army' so that they might help him rule another empire in the afterlife.The advantage of using terracotta in sculpture, over other materials, is that it involves a much simpler process for creating the finished item, with material costs likely to be considerably lower. In addition, mold-making methods can be used when undertaking mass-production of pieces.If your looking for specialist terracotta design and sculpture, visit the Shaws Terracotta website, the UKs leading terracotta design company.

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