Gerres Brodades — Commemorative BrOCADE jugs
3D Printed collectables
The Gerres Brodades are traditional Mallorcan ceramic jugs decorated with delicate reliefs that imitate textile embroidery — hence their name, as “brodades” means “embroidered” in Catalan. Originating from the areas of Felanitx and Pòrtol, they represent one of the most refined and unique examples of island craftsmanship.
These pieces capture the material memory of Mallorca, where the art of molding clay meets the slow, repetitive gesture of embroidery. On their surfaces, we find motifs of vegetation, spirals, flowers, waves, stars, and geometric shapes that are also seen in the rebosillos — traditional Mallorcan shawls — or in the typical festive costumes. Some incorporate human or fantastic animal figures, full of popular symbolism. Although they don't serve a practical function, their purpose is precisely that: contemplation. They are commemorative objects, expressions of an inner world outwardly reflected.
The Gerres Brodades are born from the intersection of two traditionally feminine disciplines: ceramics and embroidery. Both require patience, precision, and sensitivity, and both have been, for centuries, silent languages through which Mallorcan identity has been passed down from generation to generation. These jugs are not just a testament to technical skill; they are visual poems sculpted in clay.
Today, these pieces have transcended their role as decorative objects and have become symbols of the island's cultural heritage. Their value lies not only in beauty or technique but in all they evoke: the inherited knowledge, the connection to the land, the gaze that transforms the everyday into art. Reinterpreting them from a contemporary approach, as this exhibition does, is a way of keeping that legacy alive and bringing it to modern time.
