Terracotta Potteries: Red Clay Artistry

Shikha Saxena
5 min readNov 28, 2023

Red Clay medium for art since Indus Civilization

Photo by Setu Chhaya on Unsplash

Terracotta refers to a type of fired clay ceramic that is brownish-red in color and often unglazed. The term “terracotta” comes from the Italian words “terra” (earth) and “cotta” (cooked). This material has been used for various purposes throughout history, ranging from pottery and sculpture to architectural elements. Terra cotta finds its mention even during Indus (Harappan) Civilization where it was the main medium for art. The techniques of this medium varied in later Mauryan times though the art form was mainly used to create goddess sculpture and figurines. Terracotta Potteries: Red Clay Artistry is changed to modern times and been adopted by different states in India as Gujrat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal.

Baked Earth or Terracotta Potteries

Terracotta is commonly used for making pottery, including vessels, containers, and decorative items. Its porous nature allows it to absorb water, making it suitable for the creation of flower pots and other plant containers.

Photo by Art and Soil Bangalore on Unsplash

Fairly coarse and porous clay when fired takes different color from dull ochre…

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Shikha Saxena
Shikha Saxena

Written by Shikha Saxena

A Technical Writer, an artist and blogger by choice. Passionate about reading , writing and editing, NY.http://www.shikhasaxena.com and https://www.dnabox.co/