Sgraffito Landscape Plate – Porcelain and Pigments by Luis Mandiola (00073)

The landscape sgraffito plate is a circular porcelain piece where the image is carved directly into the surface of a high-fired ceramic plate. The surrounding area is worked with a dense pattern of fine dots, creating texture and visual depth without the use of color—an intricate surface that rewards close and prolonged observation. The central motif possesses the quality of a topographic map: precise, contemplative, and charged with a sense of geological time and accumulated memory.

Luis Mandiola’s ceramic work consistently positions the circular plate as both a functional form and an artistic surface, a format that draws from the entire history of decorated ceramics, from pre-Columbian times to contemporary studio practice. The mottled brown rim and the fine crackle of the glaze are material evidence of the high-temperature firing process: the kiln, acting as a collaborator, adds its own marks to the final image.

Like many recurring themes in Mandiola’s work, it functions as both a specific reference and a universal form: a symbol of depth, permanence, and the slow passage of time in the natural world. This is a unique work, handmade by Chilean artist Luis Mandiola Uribe.