White Moroccan Bowl

This handcrafted white Moroccan bowl comes from the Southern Moroccan village of Tamegroute. It has historically served as a center for learning and creating. Since the 16th century, the village has played host to a large number of workshops. Here, every generation practice, perfect and pass down traditional pottery techniques.

The makers obtain Tamegroute clay from particular caves around the village; then they delicately knead it underfoot to prepare it for use. The African sun dries the pieces, then they cover them in uniquely vibrant glazes. For the firing process they use traditional stone ovens; consequently they burn a particular mixtures of grasses, dried palm fronds, and wood to produce that dense, dark smoke. The scratches on the surface or imperfections in the construction; are a testament to the artisanal production methods and unique nature of each piece.

The founders of the religious brotherhood Nasiriyya wanted to raise the status of the village of Tamegroute; that is to say to make it a city. They assembled the merchants and craftsmen that they had brought from Fes, a city that enjoyed good relations with Tamegroute at the time. However, today Tamegroute is a little village again, but the pottery has become its main characteristic. Except for a few ochre shades, a green glaze is a dominant color in pottery from Tamegroute. As with Fes Zelliges, and even more so, the ancient techniques give the glaze infinite variations.

The white Moroccan bowl is a unique piece due to its artisanal nature as it is entirely made and decorated by hand. For this reason, the piece you receive at home may be dissimilar in some minor aspect from what you see in the picture. At the end of the day, these subtle differences make each one of these products an object with meaning.