After the end of the 9th century, Preslav – the second capital of Bulgaria concentrated on the unprecedented production of luxury artistic ceramics. With the current state of archaeological research, it is difficult to identify another similar center in Europe.
Preslav’s ceramics are made of white-gray clay. It was abundant in the vicinity of the city. Thin tiles were prepared from the clay covered with mineral paints, then the paintings were covered with glaze. This technique is distinguished from Greek and Roman models and has an Eastern origin.
Combining the dyes on the delicate creamy background of the tiles requires a sense of harmony. The tiles were painted by artists, who was able to give life to their images.
There were tiles with inscriptions, with human images, with plant and geometric motifs. The plant ornament was geometrized until the geometric began to blossom. They decorated the palaces and churches in the throne city.
Due to the brittleness of the material, only fragments have been were found nowadays. Preslav’s painted ceramics is an art that radiates joy in life. There was no Christian mysticism in the church buildings of Bulgaria at that time.
