Now it may seem that you can buy Mallorcan ceramics on just about every corner—after all, this ancient art is ideal for the canny merchant with an eye on churning out budget souvenirs, just like in any tourist hub around the world. But the sophisticated traveler who looks closer will be rewarded with something truly special, something authentic, with real roots.
Ceramics from Terra Cuita stores are well-known to locals. This may be the oldest operating ceramic production in Mallorca, and it remains a family business to this day. It all began more than 160 years ago, in 1861, with a Moorish kiln and a small workshop. The secrets of the craft have been passed down within the same family for five generations, and now the family is headed by Pep Serra Crespi.
The old workshop is now carefully integrated into the new production facility, where, of course, there is more space. Modern kilns blaze with fire, and both a design studio and a pottery workshop are located here. At the same time, Terra Cuita carefully preserves traditional motifs of color and technique.
The famous signature collections ESQUITXAT, RALLADOS and PINCELADOS are produced in a small factory in Portolà. Here, white, unfired dishes are hand-decorated with patterns of spots or brush strokes. After firing (for two days at a temperature of 950 degrees), the result is sets full of carefree, joyful splashes of cobalt, scarlet, or black.
Another collection, originally from the island, is called LLENGÜES MALLORQUINES and is inspired by the traditional fabric of Mallorca, whose pattern resembles the famous and expensive ikat fabric from Asia. Geometric ‘tongues’ of blue, red, turquoise, pistachio, purple, and yellow decorate ceramics for your home, from the kitchen and dining room to the bathroom.
The tableware from the CERÁMICA DE COLOR O TERRACOTA collection is made of brown clay, painted in the natural colors of the sea, forest, sky, and sun. Olive oil jugs, fruit bowls, salad bowls, cups, dishes, and plates—these creations add warmth, beauty, and a sense of safety and stability to the home, as well as a connection with nature.
On the plates from the TURQUESA collection, fried fish caught in the warm seas around the island seem to taste a hundred times better. The secret lies in the precise harmony of color and content, as the delicate turquoise color of the ceramics perfectly matches the serene shade of the seawater off the coast of Mallorca. Items from the TURQUESA tableware collection are covered with a shiny glaze that inevitably develops microscopic cracks, creating a crackling effect. This unique ceramic finish is further pleasant proof of the hard work and natural materials that go into every piece.
The value of Terra Cuita is not in producing flawless items for mass consumption, but in the fact that in every ordinary plate or cup, you can feel the warmth of the hands that made it. Simply touching one of these pieces is a unique, truly priceless moment—a kind of magic available to few.
By Stephan Reiryan
Address:
Carrer Portell 15, 07650 Santanyí / +34 971 52 74 75
Carrer de la Concepció 5, 07012 Palma / +34 971 93 40 44
C/ Formentor 11, 07470 Port Pollença /+34 971 68 89 65
