Hương Canh

Hương Canh lies in the midland country north-west of Hà Nội, where the delta gives way to low hills. The clay found around the village fires to a dense, grey-blue stoneware without any glaze, and for about three centuries the village has used it to make the large vessels of rural life: jars for rice and water, vats for fish sauce and pickles, pots, pipes and burial urns. The vessels were said to keep water cool and food fresh, because the walls breathe a little.

The demand for big jars fell with plastic and steel, and many kilns closed. Some families now make flowerpots, garden ware, tiles and decorative pieces, and a few artists have begun working with the clay. A handful of kilns are still wood-fired in the old way, which gives the most interesting surfaces, while others have moved to gas. Old Hương Canh jars have also found a new market among collectors and restaurants. The clay pits themselves are shrinking as the town around the village grows, which makes the remaining old jars more valued.

Good Hương Canh stoneware is heavy and hard, and rings clearly when you tap it with a knuckle. The surface should be smooth and slightly lustrous, its colour shifting from blue-grey to brown where the flame touched it. Without glaze, there is nowhere to hide a weak body, so look for walls that are even in thickness and free of cracks, especially around the shoulder and base. Fire marks and slight warping on wood-fired pieces are part of their character, not faults.