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 The Island of Sifnos, in the Cyclades, is reknown for it's pottery
The Island of Sifnos, in the Cyclades, is reknown for it's pottery. The quality is superior because
of the local clay and there are a many shops on the island selling beautiful hand-made ceramics.
It is not known when pottery began on the island though it is mentioned by Theophrastus in the third century B.C.. The oldest pottery found dates back to the eighth century B.C. and Pliny makes mention of Sifnos ceramics in the first century B.C.
By the eighteenth century, potters from Sifnos were traveling all over Greece selling and their ceramics and in
many cases moved away from the island to become potters in other towns and islands such as Lesvos. There is
even a colony of Sifnos potters in Amaroussi, a suburb of Athens.
Today there are still many who practice the art of ceramics, just as their fathers and grandfathers have. The
workshops are located in Vathy, Kamares,
Platyialos, Cheronissos and Pharos, but there are shops where the ceramics are sold all over the island.
In Kamares I lived in a house owned by an old man named Markos who was a
potter. He
had a kiln on the roof and a potters wheel in the house that he pumped with a pedal to turn.
My sister was an apprentice to him for a couple summers and through him developed a
love for ceramics. Markos made pottery until his hands became paralized and a few
years later he died. His house is now a restaurant.
Sadly this is the case with many of
the old potters and there are only a handful now creating, but they still use the
traditional tools and except for some embellishments, the art has not changed all
that much in the last few thousand years.
The clay is still dug from the surrounding hills, the wheels are in most cases powered by foot and the
kilns still fueled with wood.
A visit to Sifnos would not be complete without some local pottery. Be sure to visit the
shop of Andonis Kalogirou in Kamares, or the old
potter Podotas behind the church (photo). In Vathy at
the far end of the beach is the workshop of one of Sifnos most traditional potters and
visitors are welcome. Be sure to visit Matt's photo essay on the works of Kostas Depastas,
one of the last of the old timers who still makes pottery the simple traditional way.
A visit to his workshop in Heronissos is like
going back in time. Also the work of Georgos Atsonios in the shop called
H Peristeriona in Kamares should not be missed as it is the other end of the
pottery spectrum but no less impressive. He is one of the most respected potters in Sifnos and thus
in Greece too.
For more info get a copy of "Siphnos: The Potters Island" by George Moussa.
This excellent book serves as an excellent Guidebook to the island with a history of
the island and of Sifnos Pottery and can be found in the bookstore in
Kamares
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Sifnos Potters
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Here are some of the famous potters of Sifnos and their works.
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Kostas Depastas
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Georgios Atsonios
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Adonis Kaligirou
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Katerina's Pottery
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Exilzes Pottery |
Podotas Pottery |
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