Terracotta,
Terra cotta or
Terra-cotta (
Italian: "baked earth",
[1] from the Latin
terra cotta), a type of
earthenware, is a
clay-based unglazed or glazed
ceramic,
[2] where the fired body is porous.
[3][4][5][6] Its uses include vessels (notably
flower pots), water and waste water pipes, bricks, and surface embellishment in
building construction, along with sculpture such as the
Terracotta Army and
Greek terracotta figurines. The term is also used to refer to items made out of this material and to its natural, brownish orange color, which varies considerably. In
archaeology and
art history, "terracotta" is often used of objects not made on a
potter's wheel, such as figurines, where objects made on the wheel from the same material, possibly even by the same person, are called
pottery; the choice of term depending on the type of object rather than the material
[citation needed].
