A journey through the history, uses and meanings of fired earthenware from the Middle Ages.
The Valencian Ceramics Association is hosting “Socarrats: symbols and legends” in Manises, a free exhibition dedicated to one of the most unique elements of our ceramic tradition.
The exhibition is open until 20 March and offers a journey through the world of socarrat (decorative fired clay tiles) which, since the Middle Ages, have been placed on the façades, eaves and interior beams of houses, palaces and chapels.
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect is that they were not merely decorative; they represented protection, beliefs, fears, and desires.
The master craftsman José Luis Camarena Mateu, with over twenty years of experience working with socarrat, is responsible for creating this exhibition.
The exhibition brings together faithful reproductions, made by the artist himself, of pieces conserved in national and international museums.
The entire tour is accompanied by explanatory texts in Valencian, Spanish, English, German and French, so you can understand where socarrat comes from and why it is so important in our popular culture.
Better still, you can buy any of them and take home a piece of Valencian ceramic history.
