Tuscan Pots

Website: https://www.tuscanpots.co.uk/

Email: robertmoy@tuscanpots.co.uk

Address: 65 Botley Road, Oxford, OX2 0BS

Background

Tuscan Pots was founded by garden designer Robert Moy and his wife Francesca in 2000 in Oxford. It is a family-run business which imports and sells the finest Impruneta Terracotta from Tuscany.

All of these objects are handmade by specialist Tuscan artisans who are stewards of an ancient process of moulded-clay-creation founded in the Italian Renaissance in the 14th Century.

Photography: Anders Gramer

Impruneta creations are part of Italy’s rich heritage, and it is because of this that only a handful of artisans are licensed by the Italian government to stamp their name alongside the word “Impruneta” on their creations.

Tuscan Pots exclusively works with artisans from this elite group in order to provide its clients with unique specialist objects for interiors and exteriors.

History

Impruneta Terracotta pots are made from a unique clay found only around the village of Impruneta by the river Arno near Florence. The clay is extremely stony which, when fired, creates a honeycomb structure that allows water to expand and then escape during the Winter.

The strength of these pots comes from the high iron content present in the clay, which infuses this honeycomb structure with strength. It is this combination of structure and support which allow these pots to survive for centuries, even in colder climates.

Much of Impruneta Terracotta is sold directly to the Alpine communities. Tuscan Pots guarantees all of its Impruneta pots against frost, sun or sea-air corrosion for twenty years as long as water drainage is maintained.

It is due to the amazing durability of the clay and its beautiful finish that Filippo Brunelleschi chose to use over four million Impruneta bricks to create the magnificent dome of Florence Cathedral in the early fifteenth century.

A 700-year-old manufacturing process

This ancient creative tradition begins with the clay being hand-moulded into plaster cases. Moulding by hand exerts far less pressure on the clay than modern machine moulding, and this preserves the air holes of the honeycomb structure to remain intact allowing for a greater resilience against frost- damage. This process also allows any pattern to be built directly into the pot, which results in a stronger overall structure.

Once the pot is removed from its mould, it is placed to dry for up to four weeks in a special drying chamber. It is important that the pot dries as uniformly as possible to avoid distortion and cracks; to ensure this, each pot is monitored daily by an artisan. When the pot is dry it is ready to be fired. All our pots are fired very slowly at over 1000°C.

Italian Maiolica Ceramics

A champion of internal and external objects, Tuscan Pots offers an exclusive range of handmade interior Italian maiolica ceramics in addition to its Impruneta collection. These ceramics originate from Montelupo – a Tuscan town which became one of the specialist maiolica production centres in Europe during the late 15 th century – and are handmade by a family of fifth-generation potters who pride themselves on creating these objects with the same styles and philosophies as the original potters from the 15 th and 16 th centuries. Each piece is unique due to the intricacy of the artistic process and design.

Service

As a family-run business, Tuscan Pots aims to provide the highest quality of personal service available. Their Oxford showroom is open for private viewings only.

Should you wish to book a private viewing please contact Robert at robertmoy@tuscanpots.co.uk.