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Ceramic art has existed in this area for centuries. Pottery of various shapes and for all sorts of practical purposes was used by the earliest civilizations in these lands. Clay is the main material used for this craft. There is a huge number of clay digging sites around the town of Troyan. This fact has established it as one of the centres of pottery-making in Bulgaria.
Two techniques are used in the production of pottery. The more popular one is the manual technique, by means of a potter’s wheel or plaster moulds. The vessels manufactured on a potter’s wheel are round and very often the decoration pattern looks like a concentric circle. There are two periods in the development of the decoration system of Troyan craftsmen – the Renaissance and the Post-liberation period. The so-called „dry pattern” is typical of the Renaissance period – it is a kind of decoration made with a horn upon dried paint covering the vessel. The Post-liberation period is characterized by the wet Troyan pattern /concentric circles are made by constantly moving a brush on a wet surface/. A drop is made on the vessel surface and it spreads all over the other colours. The murals of the Troyan monastery have inspired the master craftsmen and as a result the famous Troyan pattern was created. It contains various decorative elements – circles, waves, arcs, zigzags, etc. in a number of colours, which remind of flowers, rosettes, leaves and so on. The Troyan pattern is even more impressive after the second baking, when the glaze has spread all over the vessel and the surface looks like a mirror with decorations underneath.
Over the years the Troyan pattern has been modernized and become increasingly complicated in terms of shape and motifs; nowadays it looks quite elaborate. The colour range is broadening, too. Besides the traditional brown and green, other colours have come into use – white, beige, blue, yellow, etc. The greater the number of decorative elements, the more impressive the vessel.
With the development of ceramic art over the ages, Troyan has become an established pottery centre. The Troyan pattern is still being enriched with the help of new decorations and plastic motifs.
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