talavera pottery mexico

Recently harvested pitaya in its many colours decorates this beautiful ceramic flower pot. The refreshing cactus fruit can be found throughout Mexico in April and May. Working in the style and technique of classic Talavera pottery, Isabelle Collins, creates motifs that are uniquely Mexican.

"We use the same techniques and styles used in 16th-century Puebla. Classic Talavera used only six colours, all of which were natural glazes compounded at home with mineral pigments. We create our homemade paintbrushes using mule hair or horsehair from the mane or tail, according to the thickness desired for our motifs," the artisan explains.

Vines in green, brown and cobalt blue climb a ceramic ginger jar by Isabelle Collins, who works in the style and technique of classic Talavera pottery. The repetitive motifs reflect the Moorish influence brought from Spain to colonial Mexico. This lidded jar is known in Mexico as a tibor; it was brought to Mexico from the Orient by way of the Philippines in the late 1500s.

"We use the same techniques and styles used in 16th-century Puebla. Classic Talavera used only six colours, all of which were natural glazes compounded at home with mineral pigments. We create our homemade paintbrushes using mule hair or horsehair from the mane or tail, according to the thickness desired for our motifs," the artisan explains.

Mexican artisan Alonso Luis brings the unmistakable beauty of Talavera-style pottery to his handcrafted jewelry. In this pendant necklace, the artisan creates a beautiful butterfly with ceramic wings hand painted snow white with blue accents connected to a sterling silver body. The butterfly hangs from a blue leather cord.

The swallow motif has long been popular in authentic Talavera pottery and is usually depicted in cobalt blue, popular in the 16th and 17th centuries. However this bird seems to suggest the quetzal found in the cloud forests of Oaxaca, a state that borders Puebla. Isabelle Collins works in the style and technique of classic Talavera ceramics to create a beautiful ginger jar. This lidded vase is known in Mexico as a tibor; it was brought to Mexico from the Orient by way of the Philippines in the late 1500s.

"We use the same techniques and styles used in 16th-century Puebla. Classic Talavera used only six colors, all of which were natural glazes compounded at home with mineral pigments. We create our homemade paintbrushes using mule hair or horsehair from the mane or tail, according to the thickness desired for our motifs," the artisan confides.

Mexican artisan Alonso Luis brings the unmistakable beauty of Talavera-style pottery to his handcrafted jewelry. In this pendant necklace, the artisan creates a beautiful butterfly with ceramic wings hand painted golden yellow with black and orange accents connected to a sterling silver body. The butterfly hangs from a black leather cord.

Painted by hand with colorful glazes, festive motifs envelop a soup bowl by Gorky González. He works in the style of Mexico's colonial Majolica ceramics to create the design. The artisan signs his work "AT," for alfarería tradicional (traditional ceramics).