bucchero

American  

[boo-kuh-roh, book-uh-] / ˈbu kəˌroʊ, ˈbʊk ə- /

noun

plural

buccheros

1. an Etruscan black ceramic ware, often ornamented with incised geometrical patterns or figures carved in relief.

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Etymology

Origin of bucchero

1885–90; < Italian < Spanish búcaro < Portuguese: clay vessel, earlier púcaro < Mozarabic < Latin pōculum goblet. See potion, -cule ²

Explanation

Bucchero is a type of black or deep gray pottery that was produced in ancient Italy. It's known for its shiny, metallic-looking surface, created by polishing the clay and carefully controlling oxygen levels in the kiln where the pottery was fired. Bucchero was made by the Etruscans, a pre-Roman civilization of ancient Italy. The pottery was not painted, and its black color extended throughout the fired clay. Because it resembled metal but was made of clay, bucchero allowed less wealthy members of Etruscan society to own elegant dishware and vessels with a high-end, metallic appearance. Bucchero was a major product of Etruscan commerce, traded throughout the Mediterranean from Spain to Egypt.

Example Sentences

Delicate black vases dating to around the start of the 6th century B.C. are examples of bucchero, a distinctive style of pottery produced by the Etruscans.

From Washington Post • Mar. 12, 2015

We now come to the bucchero ware, which is characteristic of the later portion of this period, though the earliest examples go back to the end of the 7th century.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 6 "Celtes, Konrad" to "Ceramics" by Various

The local museum contains a valuable and important collection of objects from the necropolis, including some specially fine bucchero, sepulchral urns of travertine, alabaster and terra-cotta, painted vases, stone cippi with reliefs, &c.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 5 "Clervaux" to "Cockade" by Various

Breastplates with overlapping shoulder-straps and belts, broader in front than behind, with decoration of the same kind as the bucchero vases, are not uncommon.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 8 "Ethiopia" to "Evangelical Association" by Various

The decoration of the bucchero is either engraved, in which case it is almost always extremely rude, or formed by figures modelled or pressed by a mould on to the body of the vase.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 8 "Ethiopia" to "Evangelical Association" by Various