Jars Ceramics presents Dashi, a stoneware collection of eight bowls and three plates. Each bowl shape and glaze are unique, beautiful objects that are remarkably functional, food safe and even dishwasher safe. The emphasis of the collection is on bowls because they are for food and home décor and because bowls are the new plates, serving as the primary dish for everyday dining. Bowls are used for all-in-one meals: pasta bowls, soup bowls, stew bowls, acai bowls, noodle bowls, curry bowls, rice bowls, fruit bowls, dessert bowls and more.
Each piece in the Dashi collection is entirely handmade. Since its founding by Pierre Jars in 1857, the profession of earthenware making has been passed down from generation to generation in the Jars factory: this centuries-old know-how has raised Jars to the rank of French Living Heritage Company (EPV label).
Created by designer-ceramicist Pierre Casenove, the Dashi collection displays a rustic chic look that honors the raw material, starkness and the object in all its simplicity. Dashi celebrates the art of the imperfect object, the spectacular marriage of raw earth and ash enamels. From these unique pieces emerges a poetry of material, a mix of strength and softness. These creations correspond perfectly to the emergence of the imperfect, which illustrates a marked return to respect for nature, including its bumps and rough patches.
Stoneware is arguably the strongest and most natural ceramic. Unlike earthenware, it is waterproof and non-porous, even without enamel. As a result, it keeps food hot or cold for a long time. The enamels on the Dashi objects are made from plant ash and offer an infinite palette in lively, deep, crystallized, crackled, matt or shiny tones. The enamel is dipped with a ladle, applied with a brush or sprayed delicately by hand, the craftsman’s work is always beautiful and precise.
During the Grand Feu firing, the enamel fuses with the stoneware. It then reveals its nuances, its subtle, fascinating vagaries. Each item in the Dashi collection is distinctive: “neither quite the same, nor completely different”. A beautiful object that knows how to stand the test of time.
The Dashi collection is available at jarsusa.com and many fine retailers. The bowls retail for $79 and the plates for $89. Jars USA, 802 Centerpoint Blvd., New Castle, DE 19720 https://www.jarsusa.com/
