Buffalo Ceramic Sculpture, Raku Fired, Big 5, African Animal, Collectable, retailer Pottery

Unique African Buffalo - Handmade, Raku Fired Ceramic sculpture with the iconic "Öxpecker" birds on its back. Raku Firing takes place outdoors in a gas fired kiln to reach a temperature of 1000°C at which point the glaze melts. The ceramic is then lifted from the kiln and buried into a pit of wood shavings that combust on contact retailer with the "red hot" ceramic. During the transfer from the kiln to the pit the cooling glaze shrinks while the clay body beneath remains "fat" stretching the glaze to crackle open and creating the spontaneous crazed effect synonymous with "Raku". These crazing patterns are accentuated by the carbon smoke soaking into the exposed clay body, through these fine cracks, during the smouldering process in the wood shavings.