Description
This is terracotta clay pottery, made with local clay. After the ware is made on the wheel or made by hands and dried, they coat it with a liquid that is made by them with leaves and other organic material locally found. The ware is dried again, carved, burnished with mustard oil, and then fired in a saggar such that the smoke is captured within the furnace and the ware turns out completely black and shiny. Post firing, the carvings in the ware are filled with lead+mercury powder. This style of pottery is practiced in Nizamabad Azamgarh UP. This craft originated centuries ago when the Nizam called for a few potters from Kutch (present day Gujarat) and asked them to start practicing here! It was given the Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2015 by the Government of India! Country of Origin - India
