The cultural revalorisation of the ceramics of Talavera: From folk culture to haute cuisine

Abstract

The ceramic production in Talavera de la Reina (Spain) is invested with the aura of deep-rooted tradition – with a history so long that it is almost immeasurable and, at certain points in time, remarkably intense production volumes. However, in the constant creation and re-creation of this tradition there are moments in which the opulence and flamboyance that sustained its past successes seem to become blurred. Removed from the narrow circle of royalty and nobility that once considered these ceramics the highest expression of luxury, their current valorisation as a popular tradition shuns the ostentatiousness of the higher classes to embrace the “authenticity” of the ordinary folk. The basis of this association is a creational myth closely linked to a social group that, while not openly in poverty, did not have much to spare. However, despite these humble origins, the ceramics of Talavera have always been involved in a constant process of re-creation. Nowadays, this artisanal industry is striving to find a space within the performative sphere of haute cuisine – searching for new ways to remain current after five centuries of history