Tam Tho pottery – quintessence of Thanh Hoa pottery art

Traces of the ancient Tam Tho pottery craft left in the pottery kiln site at Dong Vinh area in Thanh Hoa city, the central province of Thanh Hoa show a flourishing period of a thousand-year-old craft village.

Although Tam Tho ceramic products are no longer available on the market, many precious artifacts are preserved at Tam Tho Pottery Museum (Photo: baothanhhoa.vn)

Thanh Hoa (VNA) – Traces of the ancient Tam Tho potterycraft left in the pottery kiln site at Dong Vinh area in Thanh Hoa city, the centralprovince of Thanh Hoa show a flourishing period of a thousand-year-old craftvillage.

First discovered in 1937 by Swedish archaeologist Olov Janseand then excavated by Vietnamese archaeologists, the large-scale pottery kiln site in Tam Tho and Van Van hamlets has gradually been unearthed and become famous.

Researches showed that the Tam Tho pottery kiln site was formed atthe end of the first century AD with many kilns of different sizes. Eachkiln has many layers of soil ground showing that they were used many times andlast for a long time.

Most of the kilns excavated in Tam Tho are not intact, with completelycollapsed domes. They were made of clay reinforced by bamboo woven sheets to make them firm.

 Tam Tho pottery products reflect the rich history, culture and talents of Tam Tho pottery village artisans (Photo: baothanhhoa.vn)

Today, although Tam Tho ceramic products are no longer available onthe market, the precious artifacts discovered here are carefullypreserved at Tam Tho Pottery Museum in Thinh Van village, Quang Thinh communeof Thanh Hoa city.

The artifacts on display are diverse in types, designs, andstyles, and are associated with the daily life of villagers at that time, reflecting the rich history, culture and talents of Tam Tho potteryvillage artisans.

Many artifacts, which date back from the 1st to 3rdcenturies, are still quiteintact. They are divided into three major types of terracotta pottery, crockeryand glazed pottery. 

With an open space, Tam Tho Pottery Museum is a favourite destination for both visitors and researchers.

In addition to displaying ancient artifacts, Tam Tho PotteryMuseum also offers visitors with pottery-making experiences to give them abetter insight of the traditional craft.

Thanh Hoa pottery lovers are seeking ways to restore thequintessence of the craft./.
VNA

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