Editing Terracotta (section)

{{short description|Clay-based earthenware used for sculpture}}
{{redirect|Terra Cotta|the architectural material|Architectural terracotta|the Chinese sculptures|Terracotta Army|other usages|Terra Cotta (disambiguation)}}
[[File:Bust of the Virgin MET DP124049 (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[International Gothic]] Bohemian bust of the [[Virgin Mary]]; {{Circa|1390}}–1395; terracotta with polychromy;<ref name="MoMA">[http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/2005.393 Bust of the Virgin, ca. 1390–95], In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. (October 2008)</ref> 32.5 x 22.4 x 13.8 cm]]

'''Terracotta''', also known as '''terra cotta''' or '''terra-cotta'''<ref>"Terracotta" is normal in [[British English]], and perhaps globally more common in art history. "Terra-cotta" is more popular in general [[American English]], but the Getty's online [https://www.getty.edu/vow/AATFullDisplay?find=terracotta&logic=AND&note=&english=N&prev_page=1&subjectid=300010669 ''Art and Architecture Thesaurus'' prefers "terracotta"].</ref> ({{IPA|it|ˌtɛrraˈkɔtta|lang}}; {{lit|baked earth}};<ref>{{cite Merriam-Webster|terra-cotta}}</ref> {{etymology|la|terra cocta|cooked earth}}),<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=Nvu17oLIQNgC&pg=PA341 "Terracotta"], p. 341, Delahunty, Andrew, ''From Bonbon to Cha-cha: Oxford Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases'', 2008, OUP Oxford, {{ISBN|0199543690}}, 9780199543694; [https://books.google.com/books?id=Nvu17oLIQNgC&q=terra%20cocta book]</ref> is a [[clay]]-based [[Vitrification#Ceramics|non-vitreous]] [[ceramic]]<ref name="Terracotta">[[OED]], "Terracotta"; [http://cameo.mfa.org/wiki/Terracotta "Terracotta"], MFA Boston, "Cameo" database</ref> fired at relatively low temperatures. It is therefore a term used for [[earthenware]] objects of certain types, as set out below.<ref name="Terracotta"/><ref>[https://www.thefreedictionary.com/terracotta "terracotta". (n.d.) Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014. Retrieved July 13 2024 from https://www.thefreedictionary.com/terracotta]</ref>
[[File:Pentola in terracotta.jpg|thumb|Contemporary [[ceramic glaze|glazed]] terracotta casserole dish]]

Usage and definitions of the term vary, such as:
*In art, [[pottery]], [[applied art]], and [[craft]], "terracotta" is a term often used for red-coloured earthenware [[sculpture]]s or functional articles such as [[flower pot]]s, water and waste water pipes, and [[tableware]].<ref>'Industrial Ceramics.' F.Singer, S.S.Singer. Chapman & Hall. 1971. Quote: "The lighter pieces that are glazed may also be termed 'terracotta.'</ref>
*In [[archaeology]] and [[art history]], "terracotta" is often used to describe objects such as figurines and [[loom weight]]s not made on a [[potter's wheel]], with vessels and other objects made on a wheel from the same material referred to as earthenware; the choice of term depends on the type of object rather than the material or shaping technique.<ref>Peek, Philip M., and Yankah, ''African Folklore: An Encyclopedia'', 2004, Routledge, {{ISBN|1135948720}}, 9781135948726, [https://books.google.com/books?id=Sd6SAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT218 google books]</ref>
*Terracotta is also used to refer to the natural [[Terra cotta (color)|brownish-orange color]] of most terracotta.<ref>{{cite web |title=Home : Oxford English Dictionary |url=https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/199491?redirectedFrom=terra+cotta |website=www.oed.com |access-date=3 March 2021 |language=en}}</ref>
*In architecture, the term encompasses many building materials made of fired ceramic for exterior covering.<ref name=STun>{{cite book |last1=Tunick |first1=Susan |title=Terra-Cotta Skyline: New York's Architectural Ornament |date=1997 |publisher=Princeton Architectural Press |isbn=1-56898-105-8 |edition=1 |url=https://archive.org/details/terracottaskylin0000tuni/page/n7/mode/2up?q=james+taylor}}</ref> [[Architectural terracotta]] can also refer to ornate decorative ceramic elements such as [[antefix]]es and [[revetment]]s, which had a large impact on the appearance of temples and other buildings in the [[classical architecture]] of [[Europe]], as well as in the [[Ancient Near East]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-05-21|title=The many uses of terracotta tiles - a designers history|url=https://lubelska.co.uk/uses-of-terracotta-tiles/|access-date=2020-10-07|website=Lubelska|language=en-US}}</ref>

This article covers the sense of terracotta as a medium in sculpture, as in the [[Terracotta Army]] and [[Greek terracotta figurines]], and architectural decoration. Neither [[pottery]] such as utilitarian earthenware nor East Asian and European sculpture in [[porcelain]] are covered.