Handicrafts

The traditional local handicrafts are an important part of the culture of Felanitx. A large part of the area of the Felanitx township has always been known for its high-quality clay.

From the processing and use of this material not only developed one of the economically most important trades in Felanitx, but also one of the most famous artistic, handicraft ceramics on the island. We are talking about the Gerreta Felanitxera, filigree jugs or vases. There is evidence that there were potters in the town as early as the 16th century, but it was not until the 18th century that the art of pottery from Felanitx was spread and appreciated all over the island of Mallorca.

The gerretes became very famous, on the one hand because of their porosity, which kept the water nicely fresh, and on the other hand because of their daintiness and the ornaments. The Gerreta Felanitxera could be described as an unglazed, decorative jug, to which a number of ornamental elements were applied.

Most of the preserved gerretes date from the 19th and 20th centuries, and the oldest intact jug from the 16th century is exhibited in the Ethnographic Museum in Muro.

This handicraft disappeared in 1978, when Andreu Capó Maestro, the last potter of Felanitx, died.