Waurá – Ceramic Jaguar, Spotted

Ceramic jaguar by Kapisalapi.

The Waurá, or Waujá, live in the Alto Xingu in Mato Grosso and are known as the ceramicists of the region, a tradition recognised as Brazilian cultural heritage. Their pieces take the form of the animals around them, and the onça, the jaguar, is the one they return to most often. This one reached us through Floresta no Centro, the São Paulo shop run by the Instituto Socioambiental, where prices are set by the artisans and their own community organisations.

Ceramic jaguar features:

• Hand-built and hand-painted in a warm ochre ground covered with black rosettes.
• Decorated with natural pigments from jenipapo and urucum.
• Approximately 20 x 10 x 7 cm.
• Made in the Alto Xingu, Brazil. Each piece is one of a kind, so shape and markings vary.