Not to be overshadowed by the skilled weavers of Kairouan, the potters of Djerba and Sejnane have been turning out their wares since the start of civilization – Djerba pots being amongst the earliest produced in the Mediterranean region. Although Tunisian wares today are often used as an accent pieces in a living room or office, at one time large ceramic urns were used to store goods aboard trade vessels moving across land and sea.

Though they traveled far, across trade routes to Egypt, Phoenicia, and Greece, uses for this durable craft were always found just steps from the kiln. Everyday crockery in classical shapes served practical purposes, as storage containers in the home and as meal servers in the kitchen.

Ceramic styles vary by village. While some villages continue to produce more conventional forms like bowls and dishes, in others potters experiment with form, rendering shapes limited more by intended function than by imagination. Classical shapes are still often preferred for the simple canvases they provide.

In many villages, there is an interest in producing pieces that are authentic to the region. The small town of Sejnane, for example, is known for molded provincial shapes and historically authentic red and black designs. Working on crude, make-shift potter’s wheels - sometimes engineered from the flip-side of a metal pan placed over a wooden plank - the potter will pinch to perfection an inconspicuous lump of clay, rapidly transforming it into a curvaceous vase or urn. Sejnane pots are typically decorated with simple geometric lines and naïve figuratives in neutral colors – buff, red-ochre, and black.

Djerba, Barrama, and Nabeul are also important centers for Tunisian pottery. Barrama pots are noted for their simple forms and curves, red slip decoration, and authentically Berber design motifs – lines, stitches, diamonds, and V shapes. Djerba ceramics are meanwhile characterized either by their antimonious yellow bottoms and decorations rendered in copper verdigris, or by the sheen of their smooth and entirely glazed-green surfaces.

Enamel pottery is a Nabeul specialty, and ceramic pieces are rendered with bright pastel glazes on a white background. In this small town, blue, green and sometimes orange designs are painted on the canvases of ornamental plates, dishes, jugs, and vases. Another characteristic design motif to be found here is in the green-yellow color combination.

Tunisian potters commonly turn out general flatware and everyday kitchen items. But these are no ordinary dishes. Hand-painted by the artisan using stylized floral and geometric motifs or etched and pierced through to render various designs, this crockery is nothing short of spectacular. At their best, they allow the cook to serve up a bit of art with that artichoke and lamb stew.