Pottery Tradition & Modernity

Organikos

Jun 5

Mr. Biscu makes pieces using clay that comes from earth extracted from a hill in Horezu.

Chantel Tattoli reported this story from Horezu, Romania for the New York Times. Accompanied by photographs and video by Marko Risovic, her story is based on speaking to a dozen local potters using a translator:

Can Old-World Ceramics Survive Modern Tastes?

A style of pottery made for centuries in a small Romanian town has recently become a hot commodity.

Sorin Giubega's grandfather was a potter. So was his father. And at 8 years old, Mr. Giubega said, he started to play on a pottery wheel, too.

Sorin Giubega at his home, which is filled with ceramics made by him and his ancestors.

Mr. Giubega, now 63, and his wife, Marieta Giubega, 48, are potters in Horezu, Romania, a town in the foothills of the Capatanii Mountains about three hours by car from Bucharest.

Horezu is home to a community of about 50 artisans who make a traditional style of ceramics with methods that have been practiced for more than 300 years. In 2012, Horezu pottery was recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

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