The negative on glass was made by Romulus Vuia in 1923, in a potter’s workshop from the ceramic centre Baru Mare or Baru Mic, Hunedoara county.

Baru Mare early became the main center of household pottery for the villages in the Jiu Valley, as well as for those in Hațeg country, hence the name “Bar pots”. At the end of the 19th century, between 25-30 potters were active in Baru Mare and Baru Mic and there were eight kilns for burning pots. In the first half of the 20th century, the pottery craft in these centers recorded a decline, due to the market penetration of industrial production pots.

The ceramic products from the centers of Baru Mare, Baru Mic were mostly household pots, unglazed or partially glazed, at the mouth and inside. Peasant tiles were also produced in Baru Mare. The potters in these centers mainly used three colors of glaze: brown, green and yellow, which they bought from merchantry. The most characteristic products of these centers were: the large pot with a belt, ovoid, belly, used for cooking; the water pitcher with “nipple” and handle; the pot with two handles, laid next to each other on the same side of the mouth, used for cooking; pot for water or milk; pan with two handles for the cooking stove; strainer; plates of different sizes and shapes, used for serving food.

The negative shows a potter working on a wheel, in a living room, which also served as a workshop. The potter’s wheel, locally called the “cărigă”, consists of two discs, one smaller at the upper part and one larger at the bottom, joined by a vertical axis. On the small disk, the potter shapes a pot, smoothing the pot’s surface with the help of a wooden comb, impressing a circular motion of the lower disk with the help of the foot. Under the ceiling, on wooden shelves, other clay pots are being dried.

The negative, registered with title “Potter”, inventory no. 19, is made on glass support, in the dry gelatin tehnique, with dimensions of 9 cm x 12 cm.

Photo: MET Archive