Daubiere pot made in Vallauris, Provence

This earthen daubiere is modeled, cooked, dried and decorated in Vallauris by one of the last potters of Vallauris. The well-known city of ceramics was a place where Picasso loved to make artistic potteries. The whole manufacturing process is done by hand following the ancestral gestures of the potters of yesteryear. It has a very particular shape that requires dexterity and control.
The pottery is first turned and modeled in the clay, then it dries before a first oven cooking to turn solid. Then it is glazed with a brown enamel on the inside and the top of the pot, including the neck, to make it waterproof and prevent water loss. Finally, it’s annealed at around 1000 ° C to fix the finish. It’s a long process that requires patience, especially when the weather comes to hinder the work of the potter: indeed, the drying time depends on the ambient humidity. But if it’s too dry, the pottery is then more brittle and difficult to handle. In other words, the weather plays a very important role in the manufacture of ceramics.

This is a traditional terracotta container in Provence, antique french cookware used for a long time to cook the famous Provencal daube of which we give you the recipe below. Its shape is designed to contain pieces of meat and vegetables for a stew. The daubiere is wide at its base, like a small casserole, then narrows at the neck to maintain the moist heat of vegetable water. A pierced rim lid is used to collect the marinade to add to the preparation automatically.