Archaeologically it has been proven that the pottery production in this village goes back at least to the eleventh century. The cadastre of the Marqués de la Ensenada, in the 17th century, already confirms the presence of 72 potters. Coinciding with the stage of industrialization, when glass and metal came to supplant the uses of mud, Faro was depopulated and its potters migrated to rural areas, where their products were still a necessity. The East of Asturias monopolized good part of that emigration, being famous the potters of Piloña, Parres and, mainly, Cangas de Onís, where they got to exist five potteries. The nickname of Barrio de los alfares, with which the upper area of Cangas is known, is a vestige of that small splendor.
In the village of Faro only a family-owned pottery is kept, committed to maintaining production and focusing its work on the new uses of ceramics: its aesthetic and decorative value above any other. The forms that today are worked in Limanes are the plates, escudielles, botijos, figures: the gallu and the hen, botíes or bacenilla; new lines are also being worked, such as borders, interior and exterior coverings and the occasional business gift.
Faro's basic ceramics can be differentiated clearly in two types. The dark brown, sometimes almost black, obtained with the mixture of three muds at high temperature, very rich in siliceous and ferruginous materials that are extracted from the same area; and the glazed pottery, enameled in white with decorations in green, yellow, brown and blue.
The decorative motifs They are geometric and naturalistic, vegetable and animal. Among the latter, the "paxara" stands out: half fish, half bird.
Information:
Pottery of Faro:
The village of Faro is located at 4 kilometers from the capital of the Progreso, at about 350 meters of altitude, on Mount La Grandota which was once a medieval fortification.
We will find the pottery in the nº24 of Faro. 33199 Oviedo. Tnos. 985 794 332
Text: © Ramón Molleda for asturias.com
