In one of the previous articles, we wrote that #terracotta is a hard and durable material obtained by the firing process at a temperature of about 1000 ° C, it is formed from a mixture of #clay and an inert material, usually #sandstone. It is known all over the world and can be used to make products for various purposes, such as bricks for houses, but also thanks to other easily malleable properties of clay and other objects.
In #Tuscany, in the area of Florence and Siena, the craft of garden ceramics has evolved over the centuries and is known throughout the world for its elegant and refined #design as well as the quality of the clay. The Tuscan subsoil is rich in quality clay with high mechanical strength, which allows the production of very large vessels even larger than 100 cm.
Without going into specific technical details, we can say that the important properties of the terracotta products, according to which its #quality is then derived, are:
- used clay
- design
- production processes
- firing process
Tuscan #terracotta is known for the best of these features, making it one of the most famous #garden terracotta in the world. Due to its unique composition, the presence of galestro and iron oxide, the clay from Impruneta is one of the best clays in the #world. These clays can be used to produce products with high mechanical strength and porosity that are ideal for #healthy plant life. The high firing temperature and the ancient processing technology together with the quality of the clay then make it possible to obtain terracotta of the highest quality, which is not only frost-resistant, but practically eternal if handled properly. In Tuscany you will find terracotta products older than 300 years. Centuries of experience allow accurate modeling of sophisticated Tuscan style, but also in a simple and modern design.
IMPRUNETA TERRACOTTA
Terracotta Impruneta, is the most famous, the highest quality and frost-resistant. This clay is the best in the world for mechanical strength and frost resistance thanks to the presence of galestro a soft rock typical of the Impruneta area, which gives the finished product frost resistance down to -30 ° C. This claim is based on the demonstrable #durability tests that Impruneta clay products have had to pass. Impruneta clay has a grainy structure, which makes it rough to the touch, it is reddish with shades of white. Containers made of this clay are the best on the #market and are often found in very #important gardens around the world. Due to its #uniqueness, small mining area and the increasing value of this soil every year, it is considered an investment and therefore more expensive. The design is sophisticated and very well done. If the containers are made using the Colombino technique (entirely by hand), it is difficult to have perfectly identical #copies of the same production article. Each piece is therefore completely #unique. Alternatively, it is possible to work with a plaster mold, which is also made by hand. The firing process can reach up to 1020-1030 degrees and takes approximately 36 hours, followed by another 70 hours for cooling. Perhaps not everyone knows that in 1419 Filippo Brunelleschi chose the terracotta from Impruneta to build the Duomo of Florence Cathedral.
SIENA TERRACOTTA
Terracotta from Siena is a very good ratio between price and adequate product quality. This clay is mined from the hills around Siena and is the second best clay for making large pots after Impruneta. The clay is rich in iron oxide, which after the firing process gives the clay a uniform dark red color, typical of Tuscany, which was very popular in the United States in the 1980s. These products are frost resistant up to 10 degrees below zero. The models, which are the result of an ancient Sienese tradition, are elegant and carefully crafted and have either a modern or classic Tuscan style with an antique finish. Products made of Siena clay are much cheaper than Impruneta clay products, but they are still considered very good in terms of quality and beauty of design.