Hand-shaped and hand-painted ceramic
Net weight: 277 g
Couldn't load pickup availability
The design of this cup draws its inspiration from the great tradition of Armenian ceramics from Jerusalem, to which the Balian family gave exceptional renown. Heirs to a line of master ceramicists originally from Kütahya, a major centre of Ottoman ceramics, the Balians settled in Jerusalem in the early 20th century following the Armenian genocide, and there developed a decorative language that became emblematic: plant motifs, arabesques, deep colours and compositions inspired by the arts of the East. Artisans du Levant carries on this heritage with its own design: the saffron flower, the House's emblem, becomes a motif, repeated and stylised in a composition where delicate lines, plant forms and colours come together.
It all begins with clay. Carefully shaped, it is left to rest and dries naturally over several days before its first firing. This initial firing, known as the 'bisque firing', slowly transforms the raw clay into ceramic. Over nearly ten hours, the fire gives it its strength while keeping its surface porous enough to receive the design. The clay has become an object. It is now ready for the artisan's hand.
Then begins one of the most delicate stages: the design, entirely hand-painted with a brush. The colours are made from pigments, some of which only fully reveal their true shade once fired. The artisan therefore paints, in part, what she cannot yet see: she must know her materials, anticipate how they will change, and imagine the colour that firing will bring out. It takes four to six hours of work to decorate a single cup. Once the design is complete, the piece is covered with a clear glaze and returned to the kiln for a second firing above 1,000°C. Under the effect of heat, the glaze vitrifies, the colours emerge, and the design gains its shine and depth. Because every stroke is applied by brush, no two cups are ever exactly alike. A shade, an outline, the intensity of a colour: these tiny variations are the signature of the artisan's hand.
Today, this art is being passed on to young craftswomen from Artsakh, forced to leave their homeland following recent conflicts. Within the workshop, they patiently learn the gestures of ceramics: preparing the clay, mastering the firings, handling the brush, understanding pigments, and reproducing motifs that demand precision and patience. In learning this craft, they do more than preserve a heritage: they gain a skill, a sense of independence, and the possibility of building a new future. Each cup thus tells a story that links several generations and several lands: Kütahya, Jerusalem, Artsakh and Armenia today. A heritage that does not remain frozen in the past: it passes from hand to hand and continues to live on.
Follow our behind-the-scenes and our artisans
Exceptional treasures, a craft passed down from generation to generation
