Ancré 01 - Wild Clay Ember & Ash Dish
Ancré 01 - Wild Clay Ember & Ash Dish
Hand-Formed · Pit Fired
Ancré 01 is a hand-formed ember and ash vessel made in Studio Nadi Sangama from locally foraged Trinidad wild clay.
Its shallow, open form is edged by an irregular hand-shaped rim, giving the piece a grounded presence without forcing the clay into symmetry. Across the surface, pit firing has left warm red-brown clay alongside charcoal markings and smoky transitions that record the movement of fire through the firing.
Made to receive incense ash, a smouldering piece of palo santo or other appropriate burning wood, or the remains of a small ritual, Ancré 01 is deliberately simple in function. The broad interior gives ash and ember room to settle while allowing the character of the clay itself to remain central.
Ancré vessels are not produced from a fixed form or mould. Each is shaped individually by hand, so its contour, rim, proportions and firing marks belong to that piece alone. Ancré 01 is a one-of-a-kind vessel and will not be reproduced exactly.
Approx. dimensions: 13x7cm
Approx. weight: 50g
Foraged WILD CLAY
HAND FORMED
PIT FIRED
ONE OF A KIND
MADE FOR EMBER + ASH
MADE IN TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
The Name
Ancré comes from Piedmontese, the language of Piemonte in northern Italy, where the word means to anchor.
We were drawn to the word through our connection to Piemonte, but its meaning found a different expression once brought into the material language of Nadi Sangama.
To anchor is to establish a point of steadiness. It does not prevent movement around it; it creates the place from which movement can happen without losing connection to the ground.
That is how we understand Ancré.
The vessel remains low, physical and still while everything above it changes. Wood catches flame and settles into ember. Aromatic smoke moves outward. Ash forms slowly and falls back into the vessel. What begins with movement eventually returns to rest.
The clay becomes the anchor within that transformation.
There is another relationship within the material itself. Ancré begins as earth, is shaped through water and hand, and is transformed by fire during pit firing. In use, it encounters fire again—not as the force that makes the vessel, but as the ember it is now made to hold.
For us, Ancré is about grounding without stilling. Having somewhere to return while allowing movement, transformation and release to take place.
Made in Studio Nadi Sangama
Every Ancré vessel is made by hand in Studio Nadi Sangama from locally foraged wild clay.
Rather than beginning with a standardized commercial ceramic body, we collect and process the clay ourselves in small batches. Its mineral composition, texture, colour and working character vary naturally, and those differences remain part of the finished piece.
Once formed and thoroughly dried, each vessel is pit-fired. Flame, smoke, fuel and heat interact directly with the clay, producing surfaces that cannot be reproduced exactly from one vessel to another.
Deep carbon markings may sit beside warmer earth tones, reds, browns or softened greys. Slight differences in profile and surface retain evidence of the hand, while the marks left by the firing record the vessel's passage through fire.
These are not decorative effects added afterward. They are part of how Ancré is made.
Ember & Ash
Ancré is designed as a resting place for aromatic woods and other appropriate materials that burn or smoulder as an ember.
The open form allows a piece of palo santo to rest securely while providing space beneath and around it for loose ash and small embers to collect as they cool.
It can also receive the ash of incense or the material remnants left after a small burning practice. The function is deliberately uncomplicated: Ancré gives flame, ember and ash a grounded physical place without competing with the experience taking place above it.
As the burn ends, the vessel receives what remains.
Natural Character & Care
No two Ancré vessels are identical.
Variations in colour, smoke markings, carbon deposition, mineral texture, surface and profile are natural consequences of working with wild clay, forming every piece by hand and firing through an open-fire process. We allow those differences to remain because they carry something of the material's history.
When using Ancré with smouldering wood or other appropriate burning material, place the vessel on a stable, level and heat-resistant surface and make sure the material rests securely within the form. Keep it away from drafts and flammable materials, and never leave burning or smouldering material unattended.
Allow embers and ash to extinguish and cool completely before handling or cleaning the vessel.
Loose ash can be removed with a soft dry brush or cloth. If necessary, wipe the surface gently with a slightly damp cloth and allow it to dry thoroughly before use.
Do not soak the vessel or place it in a dishwasher. Avoid sudden temperature changes, dropping the vessel or striking it against hard surfaces.
Product Details
Material: Wild clay
Process: Hand processed · Hand formed · Pit-fired
Made by: Studio Nadi Sangama
Use: Ember and ash vessel
Suitable for: Incense ash, palo santo, and other appropriate aromatic woods or ember-burning materials
Finish: Naturally developed through clay, smoke and fire
Character: Individually formed; each vessel naturally varies
Different Ancré forms are identified numerically as Ancré 01, Ancré 02, Ancré 03, and so on. The number identifies the vessel form rather than an individual edition.
