Castandet pottery explained

The Castandet pottery was the ceramic production made in the town of Castandet (Landes, France), between the 15th and 20th centuries, mainly for utilitarian purposes.

History

Since the Middle Ages, three hamlets in Castandet, near Mont-de-Marsan, have been devoted to pottery as a means of exploiting the clay and marl in lands that were not very suitable for cultivation.[1] Unlike other sites, the Castandet workshops did not specialise in the manufacture of a particular type of object : there, terracotta, along a minor touch of glaze, was used to make dishes and utensils for preparing, cooking or storing food or water, household items for hygiene or lighting, and tools for agricultural or craft work.[2] This proto-industry, which encompassed an entire community, kept the peasants busy for part of the year, with the rest devoted to work in the fields or vineyards — some managed to make a living from pottery alone.[3]

The commercial heyday of Castandet pottery came in the 18th century, with around sixty workshops. These products were sold at markets and fairs throughout the Landes region and beyond, and their use is well documented in much of Gascony. Competition from faience and less expensive regional earthenware products then affected the village's activity.[4] The social situation of the potters deteriorated in the 19th century. The emergence of new metallic and plastic materials took their toll on utilitarian ceramics. The potters survived by making pots for resin extraction and artistic works until the middle of the 20th century, marking the total decline of the Castandet centre. After a period of neglect, the history of this local craft was rediscovered and studied from the 1980s onwards.[5] [6] A museum dedicated to Castandet pottery opened in September 2024.[7]

Sources

About Castandet
About pottery in and around the Landes
General

Notes and References

  1. Book: fr . Alain Costes . Christian Belot . Liliane Deschamps . Nicole Gourdon-Platel . Claudine Mimbielle . etal . Toupiès et toupins, potiers et poteries, XV-XXèmes siècles : Castandet, un centre potier landais . Groupe de recherche en ethnographie et céramologie en Aquitaine et Midi toulousain (GRECAM) . . Documents de La Grésale . 2012 . 9782954122601.
  2. fr . François Causse . Claudine Roquebert . Les productions potières de Castandet . . Bulletin de la société de Borda . 2005 . 263-284.
  3. Book: pdf . Musée de la Faïence et des Arts de la table de Samadet . brochure guide . . 2010s . 6.
  4. Web site: fr . Zoom sur la poterie de Castandet . Alain Dulucq . 19 April 2013 . sudouest.fr . . 16 May 2024. .
  5. fr . Christelle Foulquier . Analyse et valorisation du patrimoine naturel et culturel du Pays Grenadois. Héritage culturel et muséologie . Master Cultures, Arts et Société . . 2014 . 49-51 and 82–83. .
  6. Web site: Les Amis du Patrimoine Castandétois . fr . 2019 . castandet.fr . 16 May 2024. .
  7. Web site: fr . Yves Capbern. Castandet : la Maison du patrimoine castandetois sera inaugurée ce vendredi 20 septembre . . sudouest.fr . 17 September 2024. .

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