whole towns and cities are built from the stuff: the common house brick is essentially a form of terra cotta. The big problem with terra cotta ceramics, though, is that they never get rid of all the holes, and so never become fully dense. This is fine for house bricks, which only need to be fairly strong, and once cemented in place will not be bashed around or heated and cooled repeatedly. But it is a disaster for a cup or a bowl, which will have a thin body but be expected to withstand the rigors of the kitchen. They just don’t last: one small knock and the cracks start to grow from the pores
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