Terra cotta

An Italian word meaning baked earth. It is a term used in pottery to describe unglazed clay objects that have had an initial firing. Generally terra cotta refers to unfired clay that ranges in color from red to black, the most common being reddish-brown. The Sea of Marmora in the Dardenelles of Turkey has been a prolific area for terra cotta, distributed to world-wide markets. Source: Kimberley Reynolds and Richard Seddon, "Illustrated Dictionary of Art Terms"; Nancy Joaquim, "Sophia"; (LPD)<br><br>1. Literally "Cooked Earth". Italian for fired or baked clay. "Terre cuite" in French. The end product of a fired sculpture. 2. The term terra cotta clay is often used for any clay suitable for shaping and firing, except for the very fine porcelain clays.