The best known pottery in Brazil comes from different areas: the Amazon region,
Ceará, Pernambuco and Bahia in northeastern Brazil, and Minas Gerais and São Paulo in the South.
Each has different characteristics, according to the type or color of the clay utilized
and the designs and decorations, which vary greatly from place to place. They are usually
made by hand, even though the wheel may be used for large vessels. In Pernambuco, northeastern Brazil, artisans reproduce regional scenes and
characters in a reddish clay that is often painted with bright colors.
Ceará is famous for its very large pots. In the interior of Goiás, the
Cavalhadas figurines are superb...as you can see on this photo.
The potters of the city of Taubaté in the valley
of the Paraíba River, São Paulo, are known for their
elaborate Nativity scenes, religious images, peacocks (see above also), and the depiction of people going about their
daily chores.
In the famous valley of
the Jequitinhonha River in northern Minas Gerais, the clay is white or yellowish and
the figures are often in the shape of trees, animals or people, like the lovely ladies below. One of them is actually a water container.
