Ceramic Vase – Aged Black Terracotta Decorative Vessel

Aged black terracotta describes a finish rather than a clay. Terracotta is the red-brown fired earthenware underneath, and the aged black is worked over it so the original color shows through wherever the surface has been rubbed back. The result is a vase that reads as having been somewhere before it arrived, which is the entire intent of the treatment.

Terracotta is a low-fired clay and it remains porous after firing, which is why unglazed terracotta pots sweat at the sides and why a terracotta vessel darkens where water stands against it. A surface treatment closes some of that porosity without converting the piece into glazed stoneware. The clay body is also relatively soft next to high-fired ceramics, so rims and edges take small marks over the years rather than chipping cleanly away.

It suits a mantel, a console, or a shelf where a dark form can stand against a pale wall. The aged surface does its work at close range and resolves into a solid silhouette from across a room.

• Material: Terracotta
• Finish: Aged black