19th century Antique Spanish Lebrillo Bowls
Dimensions:
(4) 28.0 cm ø x 8.0 cm high
(7) 27.5 cm ø x 8.0 cm high
The first record of Fajalauza in a written document dates back to 1517 when an ollero – a potter – filed a legal complaint against a tax hike levied after the fall of the Moorish city of Granada to the Christians in 1492. The Reconquista, the expulsion of Moorish rulers from the country, changed the very fabric of Spain – its demographic, its culture, and form of governance. It also changed the stoneware making in Granada.
Potters who had been plying their trade throughout the city were relocated to the hilly district known as the Albaicín that sits 100 meters above Granada. The potters set up shop near the city gate known as Fayy al-Lawza (Puerta del Collado de Almendros or Almond Mountain Pass).
Fajalauza olleros made the most of their new environment. They collected clay along the Beiro River andwater from Aynadamar Canal. They used scorpion broom and rosemary shrubs from the nearby hills to make fuel for to bake their ceramic pieces.
Over time, Fajalauza ceramics became part of the ajuar or furnishings of every household, especially before the arrival of running water and the mass production of plastic. Large basins or lebrillos were used for personal hygiene as well as for cooking. Nowadays, they are often displayed in eye-catching lebrillo wall decorations.
In those days, stoneware was passed down from generation to generation. If a piece broke, a lañero – a ceramic fixer – would mend it with wires and rivets.