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| HOME > Midi Toulousain |
Toulouse and the Midi ToulousainToulouse is the capital city of the large southwestern French region called Midi-Pyrénées. (See map) The Midi Toulousain lies inland on the Garonne river valley, with no direct port access to the Atlantic Ocean nor to the Mediterranean. Unlike in many French regions, its traditional architecture uses bricks more than stones. Because of the color of its historic buildings, Toulouse is known to the French as the "pink city". At the beginning of the 16th century, Toulouse entered the Renaissance era and what is often referred to as an historic "golden age" (Wolff 1994). The city opened up to the intellectual and cultural influences of humanism. It also developed close ties with the great humanist center of Lyon, and with Italy and Spain. New markets and new trade patterns greatly increased Toulouse's wealth. Pastel, a blue textile coloring agent produced in nearby Lauragais, played an essential role in trade. 17th-century religious wars and the downfall of the pastel economy started to drain the city's dynamic impetus. Toulouse became a catholic and conservative stronghold, and remained so up to the end of the 18th century. It was also cut off from outside influences, and its economic activity shrank; it became an agricultural market for the surrounding countryside. Toulousain pottery centersLocal pottery centers flourished during the first half of the 16th-century. A few potters seem to have immigrated from nearby areas, and in particular from Spain, to help develop these centers (Costes 1998). At the time, pottery workshops already existed in the Saintonge area. Toulousain potters may have copied the Saintonge potters and/or been in competition with them. Both areas used similar techniques, and made similar vessels. The major difference between the two is that Toulousain potters selected brand new locations to set up shop. Their workshops of the modern era have no direct ties to the workshops of the Medieval period. They made traditional ceramics like round bottomed cooking pots and porridge cups, and brand new objects, like plates and other pieces of tablewares. Originally, these painted wares were very decorative, and might have been displayed in the houses of regional elites and ordered for weddings and other special occasions. Later they became less fancy and were probably not as expensive as faiences or foreign wares, though they were adequately decorative for urban household tables. The various pottery centers specialized in different local markets. Cox pottery was abundantly sold in Toulouse itself, while the Giroussens wares were rare in the capital, but abundant in Albi, a smaller city north of Toulouse (Costes 1998). Cox might have been the first center to also turn towards Bordeaux merchants. Its cooking pots were sold to the colonial market. Soon however, more centers involved themselves in colonial trade. See the North American Sites section for more details. Got to suggested readings to find references for the most recent local works on each center.
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| © 2006 Myriam Arcangeli |