Material & finish

It’s made in a mould from terracotta. Earthenware and terracotta are the same material. But ‘terracotta’ is used to describe an object not made on a potter’s wheel, like a sculpture. Or one that’s unglazed like a flower pot or roof tile. Whereas ‘earthenware’ describes something that is made on a wheel, or is glazed, or both – like tableware.

In the making

Gosse is made in a mould because it lets us easily create the intricate shape and details. It’s first sculpted by hand out of clay which, when dry, is cast in plaster. Once that’s dry, we pour a liquid mixture of the terracotta clay around the sides of the plaster mould and leave it to dry until it’s hard enough to take out and fire. Importantly, the finished piece is hollow, so it’s not impractically heavy.