While terra cotta was used thoughout the ancient world of Greece and Rome, Etruscan (Tuscan) terra cotta stands above the rest. Roman terra-cotta became industrialized via mass production, while the Etruscans focused on perfecting their artistry making custom decorative architectural elements, statues, painted earthenware, and roofing tiles. The ancient methods from the Etruscans resulted in exceptionally durable artifacts that stand the test of time, often surviving over 2000 years, much longer than most others. Today, Cotto Estrusco carries on the tradition by using the same Estruscan clays and ancient crafting techniques, while offering over 1000 all-natural color options.
Tradition and Design
Poetry is honored to be a new part of the Cotto Etrusco story. Cotto Etrusco creates dazzling terra cotta, hand made in the Etruscan way, slow dried in open sunlight, and enhanced by alchemists who know the ancient secrets. Varied finishes showcase “perfectly-imperfect” qualities that capture a timeless, storied look that opens the mind to a portal in time.
Cotto Estrusco has perfected the tradition using the most ancient ceramic tradition for today’s contemporary designs. Everything started from the desire to reactivate an ancient Etruscan kiln to work sedimentary clays collected in a pit of Etruscan origin in Central Italy. The close relationship between CE’s designers and master craftsmen allowed them to recover recipes of ancient production techniques and formulas for mixtures and glazes to produce unique products that are re-innovative and extremely durable.
Ecological and Sustainable
COTTO ETRUSCO has created a 100% ECOLOGICAL and ECO-SUSTAINABLE production cycle. The natural clays are pressed by hand, and dried in the sun, then fired in traditional ovens with wood from ethically managed forests and then in electric ovens using 100% solar energy. The colors are created only with natural oxides.
Laboratory and Research
“Cotto Etrusco considers research to be the strategic element of company development. In the internal laboratory, designers and expert connoisseurs of ceramic art experiment with new mixtures, new finishes, with attention also to personalized and exclusive requests. The result is high quality products, always unique, in step with the evolution of living and contemporary culture. See the Standard Shapes and Sizes
See samples of Cotto Estrusco at Poetry in the Merchandise Mart, Showroom #113. First Floor.
More about Estruscan Terra Cotta
What makes terra cotta by Cotto Etrusco superior to other terra cottas? It is a combination of factors related to its raw materials, fireing techniques, and craftmanship. These elements are the reason Etruscan Terra Cotta remains more resilient than many other forms of terra cotta from around the world.
High Quality Materials - Rich Clay Composition - Etrsucan terra cotta is made from a specific type of clay found in the central Italian region. Etruscans were also especialy skilled at finding clay that had very low amounts of impurities that produced a highly consistent texture. The ancient Etruscan clay pit owned by Cotto Etrusco has clay rich in iron oxide and silica, which makes it tougher, stronger and more resistant to weathering. These qualities ensure that the fired product is more uniform and less prone to cracks and other forms of deterioration.
Advanced Firing Techniques - Controlled Fireing Techniques - Cotto Estrusco employs many of the same techniques used the Etruscans. 1) Sun drying first step 2) Bisque Firing to minimize water absorption 3) Slow gradual firings and slow cool down times to minimize thermal shock + solar powered kiln firing, safe and natural glazing oxides, as well as more recent (1800’s) Rubboli firing techniques for special effects.
Specialized Craftmanship - The process of handbuilt molds and handshaping clay allowed for uniform thickness, which prevented weakspots that could be prone to cracking. The Etrsucans were known for their artistic prowess in creating highly stylised and intricate forms such as figurines, statues, funerary, animals and human faces as well as architectural elements like roof tiles and custom decorations, that were often integrated into the building structures themselves.
“The Spouses” Etruscan Sarcophagus
circa 520 b.c.
in Estruscan terra cotta
National Etruscan Museum
Villa Giulia, Rome
