Ornamental glazed pineapple urns (Piña Michoacána) handcrafted from clay using the traditional 'pastillaje' pinching technique from the Michoacán region of Mexico.
We love this article by Susana Ordovás, author of Inside Yucatán, talking about the history of these pineapples and how they came about.
Kings and aristocrats pined to possess a pineapple in the 17th century: the fruit was coveted for centuries for its scarcity and stately appearance. That desire is now given shape in some remarkable contemporary ceramics from Mexico. ‘Discovered’ by none other than Christopher Columbus on the island of Guadeloupe in 1493, the pineapple was called piña de Indes (pine of the Indies) due to its resemblance to a pinecone. While the term piña stuck in Spanish, the Portuguese gathered pineapples from Brazil and named them ananás after the Tupi word nanas, meaning “excellent fruit.” The pineapple became a worldwide obsession at the beginning of the 16th century and Europe’s royal houses paid what would be thousands in today’s money for just one fruit to put on display. It was the ultimate symbol of wealth and was christened the “King of Fruit.”
Now, near Tangancícuaro, a remote village in the region of Michoacán in Mexico, men extract clay from the ground with picks and shovels. They then put the clay in sacks and transport them to the village on the backs of donkeys. The clay is molded into elaborate pineapple shapes by skilled craftsmen and fired in makeshift kilns at extremely high temperatures.
These pieces can take up to six weeks to complete. The production process is long and arduous. First, two types of clay are mixed together to form a mass that will ensure the piece is sturdy enough. Once both clays are mixed together, the shape of the pineapple is formed with a mold. The decorative elements, such as the crown and shell of the pineapple, are then shaped and fixed by hand to the original piece. Afterwards, the piece is left out to dry, a process which can take many days and depends solely on the weather and the level of humidity in the environment.
Once it has sufficiently dried out, a layer of claylike substance, colloquially referred to as pasta blanca, is laid on top. This paste forms a base for the colored glazes applied later in the process. After the paste is spread, the pineapple is fired in the kiln for five hours. It is left to cool and then bathed in a glaze of lead oxide or copper oxide to give it its rich color. Silica is also applied, giving the piece its signature glossy shine. The pineapple is then placed back in the kiln for a second firing for an another five hours. The final result is an intricately detailed, smoothly-glazed ceramic pineapple, which is highly decorative and more coveted than ever.