6533b834fe1ef96bd129d38b

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Consumir la obra de terra. Los orígenes de la cerámica valenciana por el lado de la demanda (1283-1349)

subject

description

The origins of Valencian ceramic tableware, one of the most coveted products of the Late Middle Ages, have traditionally been explained from the supply perspective. The attention given to technological and stylistic–i.e. productive–aspects has tended to eclipse the issues that go beyond the objects themselves and affect the viewpoint of the consumer: to what extent was the demand for obra de terra by Valencian society key to the start of its production? This essay considers this matter using a sample of 232 probate inventories from between 1283 and 1349, to which will be applied quantitative analysis based on the historiography of consumption. It will be argued that, before the Black Death, the consumption of ceramic tableware illustrated huge inequalities within medieval society, and that the weight of its demand corresponded to a particular social group in the city of Valencia. It will be also advocated that it was fashion rather than cost which explains not only this limited consumption, but also the subsequent popularization of these products.