Jarre à la corde is a fascinating European ceramic technique traditionally used to produce multiples of large vessels. In the technique, an internal framework of wooden ribs is mounted on the pottery wheel,wrapped in rope, and coated with soft clay. Once the clay reaches the proper stage of dryness, the internal structure is removed, leaving a hollow vessel.
Benjamin Oswald did a deep dive into the technique during a residency at Centre Professionnel International de formation aux Arts Céramiques (CPIFAC) in Velaine-en-Haye, France. He was interested in the technique as both metaphor and method—treating clay as skin and wooden armatures as bones. In today's post, an excerpt from the January 2026 issue of Ceramics Monthly, Benjamin shares his process. –Jennifer Poellot Harnetty, editor
There is a certain romance about visiting a remote location in France to learn about an obscure ceramic technique that is emerging in the North American, Asian, and Australian ceramics contexts. Jarre à la corde is a technique that has been used traditionally in Europe for building multiples of large ceramic vessels and can also be applied to the fabrication of forms for sculptural works. A series of wooden ribs is mounted around the center axis of a pottery wheel and wrapped with rope. Soft clay is posited on the surface of the rope and further shaped. When the clay has reached the right stage of dryness, the wooden ribs and rope are extracted from the interior of the form, leaving a clay vessel. By varying the rib shape and scale, this technique can be employed to create a variety of vessel designs, the size of the kiln being one of the only limiting factors (1).
After spending several days in Paris researching ceramic works at the Louvre, I boarded the TGV (France’s high-speed rail service) to Nancy, located in the north-eastern region of France. Upon arrival, I located my rental apartment in a block of buildings dating back to the 15th century and, after unlocking several sets of doors using large keys, gained access to a narrow circular staircase, which smelled of damp stone. My flat was on the third floor, with the building conveniently located next to the main shopping areas and the city square. As I settled in, bells began to ring out over the square from a nearby cathedral. I came to Nancy to complete a short internship at the Centre Professionnel International de formation aux Arts Céramiques (CPIFAC) in Velaine-en-Haye, a forested location just outside Nancy. My purpose was to work with artists in the technique of jarre à la corde.
The Skin
My practice involves the creation of vessels and sculpture, and is an examination of their spaces and interactions. Ceramic vessels have a well-developed vocabulary referencing the human body. For example, a vase may have a foot, a belly, a shoulder, or a neck. I am interested in the ceramic vessel’s symbolic connection to the body. For me, creating vessels is like creating people, where dynamic associations and relationships can be considered. Like many ceramic artists, I use the pottery wheel, handbuild using coils and slabs, slip cast with molds, or use press molds to create vessels and objects to communicate what I’m thinking about. When I do this, I feel like I’m using the clay to fashion the physical skin of the objects I’m bringing into existence.
The Bones
The day I arrived was a bank holiday. As such, the buses from Nancy to Velaine-en-Haye were very infrequent, so I hired an Uber to get me to the CPIFAC studio site. As the Uber driver and I entered the forest of Velaine-en-Haye, the slight rain and cool temperatures created a fog that made identifying buildings a bit tricky. The driver looked nervous dropping me off in a location that appeared to be in the middle of nowhere. That said, CPIFAC is comprised of three buildings on the remote site that served as part of a US Air Force base during WWII. I was warmly greeted at CPIFAC with pastries and tea before getting to work.
While the practice of jarre à la corde often lends itself to the production of symmetrical shapes, I went to CPIFAC to specifically push what I could do with the technique by attempting asymmetrical forms with concave parts (2–9). Each vessel is an engineering challenge and the wooden structures themselves are art. To my mind, the wooden ribs look like the skeletal structure for a vessel worthy to be featured at the Galerie de Paléontologie et d’Anatomie comparée (Paleontology and Comparative Anatomy Galleries at the National Museum of Natural History) in Paris and have also served as sculptural inspirations in my work.
the author Benjamin Oswald received an MFA from Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver, Canada. He works as a professional artist and arts educator, teaching ceramics at the University of Alberta. He is based in Treaty 6 Territory, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. To see more, visit www.benjaminoswald.ca.
Search the Daily
Published Oct 9, 2019
There is a certain romance about visiting a remote location in France to learn about an obscure ceramic technique that is emerging in the North American, Asian, and Australian ceramics contexts. Jarre à la corde is a technique that has been used traditionally in Europe for building multiples of large ceramic vessels and can also be applied to the fabrication of forms for sculptural works. A series of wooden ribs is mounted around the center axis of a pottery wheel and wrapped with rope. Soft clay is posited on the surface of the rope and further shaped. When the clay has reached the right stage of dryness, the wooden ribs and rope are extracted from the interior of the form, leaving a clay vessel. By varying the rib shape and scale, this technique can be employed to create a variety of vessel designs, the size of the kiln being one of the only limiting factors (1).
After spending several days in Paris researching ceramic works at the Louvre, I boarded the TGV (France’s high-speed rail service) to Nancy, located in the north-eastern region of France. Upon arrival, I located my rental apartment in a block of buildings dating back to the 15th century and, after unlocking several sets of doors using large keys, gained access to a narrow circular staircase, which smelled of damp stone. My flat was on the third floor, with the building conveniently located next to the main shopping areas and the city square. As I settled in, bells began to ring out over the square from a nearby cathedral. I came to Nancy to complete a short internship at the Centre Professionnel International de formation aux Arts Céramiques (CPIFAC) in Velaine-en-Haye, a forested location just outside Nancy. My purpose was to work with artists in the technique of jarre à la corde.
The Skin
My practice involves the creation of vessels and sculpture, and is an examination of their spaces and interactions. Ceramic vessels have a well-developed vocabulary referencing the human body. For example, a vase may have a foot, a belly, a shoulder, or a neck. I am interested in the ceramic vessel’s symbolic connection to the body. For me, creating vessels is like creating people, where dynamic associations and relationships can be considered. Like many ceramic artists, I use the pottery wheel, handbuild using coils and slabs, slip cast with molds, or use press molds to create vessels and objects to communicate what I’m thinking about. When I do this, I feel like I’m using the clay to fashion the physical skin of the objects I’m bringing into existence.
The Bones
The day I arrived was a bank holiday. As such, the buses from Nancy to Velaine-en-Haye were very infrequent, so I hired an Uber to get me to the CPIFAC studio site. As the Uber driver and I entered the forest of Velaine-en-Haye, the slight rain and cool temperatures created a fog that made identifying buildings a bit tricky. The driver looked nervous dropping me off in a location that appeared to be in the middle of nowhere. That said, CPIFAC is comprised of three buildings on the remote site that served as part of a US Air Force base during WWII. I was warmly greeted at CPIFAC with pastries and tea before getting to work.
While the practice of jarre à la corde often lends itself to the production of symmetrical shapes, I went to CPIFAC to specifically push what I could do with the technique by attempting asymmetrical forms with concave parts (2–9). Each vessel is an engineering challenge and the wooden structures themselves are art. To my mind, the wooden ribs look like the skeletal structure for a vessel worthy to be featured at the Galerie de Paléontologie et d’Anatomie comparée (Paleontology and Comparative Anatomy Galleries at the National Museum of Natural History) in Paris and have also served as sculptural inspirations in my work.
the author Benjamin Oswald received an MFA from Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver, Canada. He works as a professional artist and arts educator, teaching ceramics at the University of Alberta. He is based in Treaty 6 Territory, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. To see more, visit www.benjaminoswald.ca.
Unfamiliar with any terms in this article? Browse our glossary of pottery terms!
Ceramic Artists
Functional Pottery
Ceramic Sculpture
Glaze Chemistry
High Fire Glaze Recipes
Mid-Range Glaze Recipes
Low Fire Glaze Recipes
Ceramic Colorants
Ceramic Glazes and Underglazes
Ceramic Raw Materials
Pottery Clay
Ceramic Decorating Tools
Ceramic Kilns
Making Clay Tools
Wheel Throwing Tools
Electric Kiln Firing
Gas Kiln Firing
Raku Firing
Salt Firing and Soda Firing
Wood Kiln Firing
Ceramic Decorating Techniques
Ceramic Glazing Techniques
Handbuilding Techniques
Making Ceramic Molds
Making Ceramic Tile
Wheel Throwing Techniques