Jars Céramistes Soup plate Green Ceramic. Dimensions: Ø 25,5 x H 4 cm.
Each piece in the Dashi collection is entirely handmade in the Jars Céramistes
workshops in Anneyron in Drôme. Since its founding by Pierre Jars in 1857, the
profession of earthenware making has been passed down from generation to
generation in the Jars factory: this centuries-old know-how has raised Jars to
the rank of French Living Heritage Company (EPV label). Created by
designer-ceramicist Pierre Cazenove, the Dashi collection displays a rustic chic
look that honours the raw material, starkness and the object in all its
simplicity. Dashi celebrates the art of the imperfect object, the spectacular
marriage of raw earth and ash enamels. From these unique pieces emerges a poetry
of material, a mix of strength and softness. These creations correspond
perfectly to the emergence of the imperfect, which illustrates a marked return
to respect for nature, including its bumps and rough patches. Stoneware is
arguably the strongest and most natural ceramic. Unlike earthenware, terracotta
clay is waterproof and non-porous, even without enamel. As a result, it keeps
food hot or cold for a long time. Real treasures, the enamels are made from
plant ash. Reconstructing an enamel with ashes and then standardising it is a
long and difficult job. It’s at the cost of this artisanal work that the
ashes give these colours and these particular materials, a unique depth of
enamel. This know-how, like all the changing earthenware in this profession,
enriches the magic of firing. Enamels make up an infinite palette: lively, deep,
crystallised, crackled, matt or shiny tones. Dipped with a ladle, applied with a
brush on an outline, or sprayed delicately by hand, the craftsman's work is
always beautiful and precise. During so-called Grand Feu firing, the enamel
fuses with the stoneware. It then reveals its nuances and effects, its subtle,
fascinating vagaries. Each item in the Dashi collection is unique: “neither
quite the same, nor completely different”. A beautiful object that knows how
to stand the test of time and last: first of all through its natural, solid
material, but also and above all because it requires time and patience to take
shape. Precise, subtle actions.
