Feature Article:
Something noble from the vile earth:
by Anna Tahinci
Easily modeled, relatively light, and abundant, terracotta (“baked earth,” hard-baked clay) is one of the fastest, most direct, and inexpensive mediums available to sculptors and, as a result, it has been used continuously in sculpture and architectural decoration since prehistoric times. Statuettes from pre-dynastic Egypt, Assyrian and Persian polychrome glazed bricks, figures from Central American pre-Columbian sites, and African sculptures from the Nok culture are great examples of its prevalence as an artistic medium. Ornamental terracotta figures were used in Greek, Roman, and Etruscan architecture. In terracotta’s golden age, in Renaissance Italy, it was a favorite material for sculptors’ small working models.
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