We met Pablina Esquivel, now 82 and working with her daughter, almost by accident one afternoon while in the countryside finishing some samples with our leathercraft team. On a bucolic stretch of a long dirt road, under the boughs of mango and lapacho trees, sat an unassuming home with two women working clay quietly in the front. Both mother and daughter emanated gentleness and modesty that was winsome and almost disarming, and it showed in their work.

It was only later that we learned Ña Pablina is considered a master artisan and held in the highest-esteem in Paraguay. She is a cultural treasure.

She began learning the craft from her mother at 17, and still today, as was done then, she handbuilds each piece, an ancient pottery-making technique that involves creating forms without a pottery wheel, using only hands, fingers, and simple tools. She molds clay coils places them atop each other one layer at a time to build height. After the pieces are formed and dried, they are baked in a rustic brick oven that sits in the back of their home. The black color and even reddish hues found in some of her work is created by wrapping the piece in mango leaves during the firing process.

It is such a deep joy for us to offer you these spectacular and truly small-batch pieces—the clay vases, planters, or the burnished, black lucky hens.

Handcrafted in Tobatí. 

Dust as needed with a soft, dry cloth. Avoid abrasive materials, harsh cleaners, or anything that may scratch or discolor the surface. Handle with care.