Sgraffito is one of the oldest decorative techniques in ceramics. Its name comes from the Italian sgraffiare, meaning “to scratch.” But the act is much older than the word.

In Neolithic villages, potters shaped vessels to store grain, wine, and oil — and then took sharp tools to their surfaces, carving lines, zigzags, and spirals into the damp clay. Sometimes these grooves were left raw, sometimes they were filled with slip (a liquid clay mixture), sometimes painted with natural pigments. The effect was hypnotic: light and shadow dancing across the surface, patterns alive with human touch.

Archaeologists have found sgraffito vessels from Europe to the Middle East, each culture adapting the technique to its own rituals and aesthetics. Some were ceremonial, others purely functional. But all shared the same essence: the maker’s hand permanently inscribed in earth.

At Pottery & Poetry, we see sgraffito not as history to be imitated, but as a living dialogue.

Our plates and vessels carry the DNA of those Neolithic jars, but their voice is contemporary. Instead of rigid geometric fields, we carve sunbursts, flowing waves, or abstract patterns that echo both nature and modern art. We combine incised drawing with bold fields of glaze — cobalt blue, mustard yellow, moss green — turning the contrast between surface and depth into a celebration of color.

The result is ceramics that feel like artifacts and artworks at once. They connect you to humanity’s oldest traditions, yet they belong seamlessly on a modern dining table, in a minimalist apartment, or on a chef’s pass at a restaurant.

We make them to be used, not displayed in glass cases. Because legacy is not preserved by locking it away. It is preserved by living with it — every breakfast, every dinner, every shared moment around the table.