Peru Chulucanas Folk Art Pottery Kissing Lovers Hugging Sculpture‎ Couple SIGNED

Peruvian Chulucanas Folk Art Pottery Kissing Lovers Hugging Sculpture Couple Signed Javier Vilchez The region of Chulucanas – in the province of Morropón, Peru – produces a type of ceramic officially labeled with the appellation of origin Chulucanas. The town is famous for its pottery. Originally dating from pre-Inca times it is today exported all over the world. The main natural components of Chulucanas pottery are clay, sand, mango leaves and the climate. The craftsmen of Chulucanas use distinctive ancestral techniques from ancient cultures such as the Vicús and the Tallán. Before completion, each ceramic piece will undergo a dozen steps. The artisans mold the raw clay with their hands and feet, and then use wooden pallets and stones in order to better shape it. The first colors, derived from natural sources such as leaves and soil pigment, are added. Then the pieces are placed in an oven and submerged for hours in the smoke of burning mango leaves, which give Chulucanas pottery its characteristic black color. To complete the piece, the ceramic is polished by hand with a black stone, to give it a brilliant shine.