Pottery from Mantamados, Lesvos, for
@a.m.o.shop
Handmade from locally gathered earth, shaped and fired in traditional wood-burning kilns—a slow craft now under threat of extinction.
This curation revives traditional pieces dating back to the 19th century: Koumari, naturally cooling unglazed water jars; Giouvetsi, durable double-fired and glazed cooking pots decorated with diluted clay batana; alongside sculptural ceramic shells designed by
@studiopale , crafted using the same slow process.
The decoration of the Koumari, slightly minimised for the show, was traditionally hand-painted in limewash, with the spiral as its defining motif, commonly carried out by the potters’ wives, as in this case. The Mantamados spiral is broader and often interlocking, creating a sense of rapid movement.
Special thanks to
@dinos_kogias for his expertise and archive photographs, including a postcard from Thessaloniki during WWI showing Koumaria unloaded at the waterfront, when pottery production and trade were flourishing in Lesvos.
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photo:
@josephalexiadis 
