Potter's workshop

Potter's workshop used to be located in a separate room, in case it was within the house itself; however, there were cases, where it was placed in the yard, in a special wooden or brick building, in which case it usually featured a large panel board with inscription on it.

1. potter's wheel 2. glazing grinder 3. bench for kneading of potter's clay

Potter Franc Bauman At power - Driven Potter's Wheel, Tešanovci, 2003

Pottery is thought to be one of the oldest crafts. In the 18th Century the potters of the Dobrovnik and Bogojina parishes started to unite in guilds. Due to geography and the the type of products the Prekmurje potters can be divided into two groups: the Filovci group and the Goričko group. Legend has it that in the late 19th Century in the village of Filovci alone there were 90 potters in that Filovci potters were famous for their black baked earthenware. The village of Kobilje, too, had a lot of potters and the last one stopped working in 1960. The centre of the Goričko potters was the village of Moščanci in that there were potters in other villages, like Pečarovci, Lončarovci, Fokovci, etc. In 1927 the Murska Sobota district boasted 54 active potters, in the early fifties there were still 40 potters, their number dropping to 29 potteries by 1957. Due to introduction of cheaper metal and tin vessels pottery started to decline.

Potter Adolf Hašaj With His Earthenware On Waggon 1960-1970

Zlaganje žganih izdelkov iz peči, Tešanovci, 2003

Earthenware

As regards shape the Prekmurje potters distinguished between shallow earthenware and deep earthenware; as regards colour they distinguished between black, white and multi-coloured earthenware (glazed and ornamented by oxides). The ornamented earthenware has been made by the Kuzma potter Adolf Hašaj; his products are distinguished for their coloured white glazing and the inscription HA on the bottom of the vessel. Applied products have been made by various potters, the newer products pay tribute to old tradition in that at the same time they grant the old shapes new contents and applicability. The newer decorative products, too, feature similarity to the old ones for they tend to be very much like the original products, fit for use but reduced in size.