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César Teixeira

César Teixeira is one of the last active soenga masters, preserving a 17th-century craft that transforms clay into art pieces darkened by fire, with the help of his son João.

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THE GUARDIAN OF SOENGA

The story11piecesSee the pieces

César Teixeira was born in 1969 in Gondar, a small village in Amarante, where he still lives and works. At 18, he became an apprentice to master potter Manuel Teixeira, learning two rare ancestral techniques he never abandoned: the low, horizontal, and manual wheel (roda baixa) for shaping clay, and pit-firing (soenga), a firing method in a pit that echoes ancient pagan rituals and transforms the clay into art pieces darkened by fire.

Although he continues to work at the local hospital during the day, the black clay of Gondar is the blood that runs through his veins. César is one of the last active soenga masters, preserving a craft whose roots date back to the 17th century. The most curious fact is that his workshop is located in an old deactivated primary school - the same one where he learned to read and write as a child.

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But César is no longer alone. His son João joined him after returning from Caldas da Rainha, where he studied ceramics at the prestigious ESAD. He learned the gestures, the patience, the timing of the fire and the earth. Together, they work on commission and hold public soengas and workshops, inviting others to mold and fire, in the struggle to keep the ceramic heritage of Gondar alive.

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The journey

César Teixeira

Origins and Training

César Teixeira was born in 1969 in Gondar, a small village in Amarante, where he still lives and works. At 18, he apprenticed under master potter Manuel Teixeira, learning two rare, ancestral techniques he would never let go of: the low, horizontal, hand-turned wheel for shaping clay, and the soenga, a fire-pit method of firing clay that echoes ancient pagan rituals and turns clay pieces into darkened works of art.

Practice and Legacy

While César still holds a day job at the local hospital, the dark clay of Gondar remains his lifeblood. He is one of the last active soenga masters, preserving a craft whose roots in Gondar date back to the 17th century. And you know what? His workshop is in an old, disused primary school, the very same one where he learned to read and write as a little boy.

Continuity Through Generations

But César is no longer alone. His son João joined him after returning home from Caldas da Rainha, where he trained as a ceramist at the prestigious ESAD. He has learned the gestures, the patience, the timing of fire and earth.

Community Engagement and Preservation

Together, they work on commission and lead public soengas and workshops, inviting others to shape and fire, fighting to keep Gondar’s ceramic heritage alive.

The technique

ABOUT SOENGA

Soenga is a technique invented by Gondar artisans in the 17th century, where a traditional open-air fire reaches 1000°C, infusing the clay pieces with black smoke that gives them their historically unique hue.

Handmade by César Teixeira

The pieces

Traditional clay is fired. The dark clay of Gondar is forged. Forged in the fire of the soenga, a technique that turns clay into works of art with centuries of history. César Teixeira and his son João are among the very last who still summon the soenga to make elegant, mysterious clay pieces. This vinegar cruet is more than a functional or decorative object; it is a living testament to cultural resilience. Each piece carries the ancestral warmth of the fire, the patience of gestures learned across generations, and the memory of a village that keeps its identity alive through clay.

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