#i have some of nina nesheva's pieces and they're incredibly tactile and i use them daily

[easterneuropeancrafts]

Veliko Tarnovo Pottery

(12th - 15th Century)

Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria

There are three major schools of Bulgarian pottery (that have survived and are practiced in some form to this day) - pottery from Troyan, Veliko Tarnovo and Busintsi. The three styles of pottery are made using different techniques, forms and ornaments.

The pottery from Veliko Tarnovo uses a Sgraffito technique, which involves applying a thin layer of white clay, engraving designs on the dry surface of the clay, firing the design at a lower temperature, applying coloured or transparent glaze on top of the engravings, and re-firing the design at a higher temperature, resulting in a three dimensional design.

This style of pottery was typical of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom in the 12th to 14th century, and was made in Veliko Tarnovo, which was the Bulgarian capital at the time. It was used by the aristocracy of the time both for dining and for decoration.

Commonly used designs include plant, animal and human motifs as well as complex geometric patterns (some of which evoke solar imagery). The colours associated with this style of pottery are brown, yellow and green which all carry different symbolic meanings, with the brown originating from the natural colour of the clay, and the green and yellow coming from different pigments in the glaze.

Tarnovo style pottery is made to this day by artisans in the city. Nina Nesheva and her son, Dimitar Neshev, make designs which recreate the palette and style of the Tarnovo ceramics. Inspired by designs recovered from Tsarevets (the medieval stronghold overlooking Veliko Tarnovo) during archaeological investigations in the 70s, Nina Nesheva set out to create this style of ceramics, and has been creating works of art on the Samovodska Street in the Veliko Tarnovo historical district for more than thirty years. In their atelier "Chupi Kupi", you can see both modern examples of this pottery, as well as original shards of pottery provided by the Veliko Tarnovo Archaeological Museum (see the 4th photo above). It is also made in the city of Elena by local master Valentin Dimitrov.

Images from (1) Veliko Tarnovo Archaeological Museum, (2)-(5) Bulgarian National Radio Article on Nina Nesheva's work.

Nina Nesheva and Dimitar Neshev's atelier (Facebook page)

Valentin Dimitrov's atelier (Webpage)