Terra cotta, << TEHR uh KOT uh, >> is a hard, durable kind of earthenware. Like other kinds of earthenware, terra cotta is a type of baked clay. It ranges in color from buff to brown to various shades of red and is usually unglazed. Terra cotta is widely used to make flowerpots, fountains, tiles, architectural ornaments, and decorative garden sculptures. Because terra cotta can be molded easily, many sculptors have used the material to make preliminary models of their works.
Terra cotta was developed during prehistoric times. The ancient Greeks and Romans used it to make decorative objects. They also used terra cotta to make gutters, pipes, and other construction materials. The term terra cotta is Italian for “cooked earth.”
See also Terra-cotta army of Xi’an.
