Museu del Fang de Marratxí

Museums | Marratxí

It is known as Terra del Fang (land of clay) and not in vain, since Marratxí is the municipal district which concentrates the most renowned potters of Mallorca. This locality is the site of the Museu del Fang, a place devoted to the world of pottery in its multiple forms. Marratxí is a municipal district in the Raiguer region in which, curiously, there is no town of this name. Two of its towns are Pòrtol and Sa Cabaneta, where the tradition of pottery-making dates back to the 18th Century. It was during this time that the ollerías and potter's shops which came from neighbouring Santa Eugènia were set up there, introducing a craft which has been handed down from fathers to sons. Now, a wide selection of the different varieties of clay and pottery are brought together in the Museu del Fang (Pottery Museum). The museum is set up in es Molí de Sa Cabaneta, an old mill which has been specially restored for this purpose. The museum's collection includes around nine hundred pieces; a little under half of these correspond to traditional pottery and the rest to artistic pieces. Pieces from the 19th and 20th Centuries Part of this collection has been obtained through the popular Fira del Fang (Pottery Fair), which since 1984 has been held at the beginning of May and which is a unique occasion to view the work of a good number of potters. A competition is held during this fair in which participants have to donate one of their works, which go into forming part of the museum's artistic collection. Most of the pieces are from the 19th and 20th Centuries. Some of them have a story worth mentioning, such as the pot dated 1900 made in Cuba by Joan Garau, a craftsman who was born in Pòrtol and who emigrated at the end of the 18th Century to what was then a Spanish colony. Through the distinct collections, different varieties and techniques for working the pottery and clay can be studied. The olleria corresponds to objects in red clay; the gerreria, in white clay; and the siurells is a section devoted to one of Mallorca's real symbols. These are figures painted white with flecks of red and green. They represent different characters and have a whistle at the back. Their origin is unknown, although similar pieces from the Muslim period have been found. Another of the aims of this museum is to recover the history of the town, by acquiring pottery items which have been made by craftsmen who have already retired or died.