Ester Plicková
Figural expression holds a full-valued place in the wide spectrum of pottery production. However, it does not hold such a dominant position as faďence ceramics. Figural creation in pottery started to take hold at the end of the eighteenth century due to the influence and closer recognition of the small faďence and porcelain statues popular during that era. The pinnacle of its development was reached in the mid 1950s. During its long-term historical development, pottery ceramics focused mainly on utilitarian dishes. In occasional sparse moments of relaxation, pottery makers devoted their time to figural creation, either for their own pleasure, for special requests with specific requirements, or for children. The majority of pottery masters created their figures on a traditional foot-operated wheel. The structural base of the figure created in such a way is the basic hollow corpus. Later on, small elements are added creating a figure. Each figure bears a seal of unrepeatable uniqueness. One of the most frequently created motifs is somebody close to the pottery creator’s own life and at the same time interesting with attractive characteristics. The especially popular music topic certainly has its roots in the emotional sphere, reminding one of the pleasant feelings and situational experiences connected to the perception of music. Great attention was given to nativity scenes with shepherds from the festive calendar cycle. Jánošík, a Slovak national bandit, can also be found in the repertoire of pottery figures. Female figures are represented by farmwives with typical attributes such as a goose, basket or bundt cake. A frequent motif is a figure of a woman as a savings bank with a well-thought out functional combination with a candle holder. Figural creations are also very decorative in architecture, embedded into house arches and gables. The artistic mission of pottery figural creation still has its creative contemporary followers.