Artwork
Farfurie mare, adâncă, de tip castron. Piesa este modelată la roata olarului și este angobată pe fața sa interioară. Decorul este pictat cu pensula și cu cornul și se compune din motive decorative florale (buchet de flori, în zona centrală a farfuriei) și geometrice (linii hașurate, linii sub formă de cercuri concentrice) situate pe buza farfuriei. Cromatica: alb, albastru, siena naturală, verde. Farfuria este acoperită, pe fața sa interioară, de un strat de smalț transparent.

Farfurie mare, adâncă, de tip castron. Piesa este modelată la roata olarului și este angobată pe fața sa interioară. Decorul este pictat cu pensula și cu cornul și se compune din motive decorative florale (buchet de flori, în zona centrală a farfuriei) și geometrice (linii hașurate, linii sub formă de cercuri concentrice) situate pe buza farfuriei. Cromatica: alb, albastru, siena naturală, verde. Farfuria este acoperită, pe fața sa interioară, de un strat de smalț transparent. is a photography by Unknown. It dates from 1850 and is held in the collection of the Ethnographical Museum of Transylvania. A shallow, wide ceramic bowl, fashioned on a potter's wheel, features two modest handles on one side and rests on a plain white base.
About this work
Overview
A shallow, wide ceramic bowl, fashioned on a potter's wheel, features two modest handles on one side and rests on a plain white base. The interior is glazed with a clear, transparent enamel, while the exterior bears faint, weathered pigments in white, light brown, blue and green. The rim shows minor chipping, and the overall surface appears smooth from use.
Subject & Meaning
The painted decoration consists of a central floral bouquet surrounded by geometric motifs. Radiating lines, hatched patterns and concentric circles frame the floral group, suggesting a balance between natural and abstract design elements typical of domestic pottery ornamentation.
Technique & Style
The vessel was hand‑thrown on a wheel and then burnished on its inner surface. Paint was applied with both brush and a horn tool, allowing fine linear work and broader washes. The colour palette—white, natural sienna, blue, green and a base of white—was sealed beneath a transparent glaze that has since faded with age.
History & Provenance
The bowl is identified as a large, deep type known as a "caztron" in Romanian pottery terminology. Its stylistic traits and material composition align with traditional folk ceramics from the region, though no specific maker or date is recorded.
Context
Such utilitarian vessels were commonly used for serving food or liquids in rural households, where decorative painting served both aesthetic and symbolic purposes. The combination of floral and geometric motifs reflects a vernacular visual language that blends everyday function with modest artistic expression.
Artist & collection
Museum
Ethnographical Museum of Transylvania
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