In the hills of Tuscany lies the small town of Impruneta. There, for hundreds of years, artisans have produced the most spectacular terra cotta in the world. In fact, when Brunelleschi built Florence's magnificent Duomo he demanded genuine Impruneta terra cotta for its crown. Today, twelfth generation artisans dig the same gray clay from the pits behind their homes. They create the pots by hand using traditional methods. Then they fire them in kilns where they turn the magnificent color that is unique to terracotta of Impruneta - the warm pink of the Tuscan sunrise. The terracotta pottery produced here is unlike any other. The unique chemical composition of the soil and the high temperatures at which it is fired cause it to be the most durable and the only truly frost proof terracotta in the world. It has the high relief, exquisite detail, and top quality craftsmanship that can only be found in work executed by the hand of an accomplished artisan. There is no confusing this pottery with that pressed out by machine or hastily done by less skilled laborers.
Seibert & Rice is the leading American importer of handmade terracotta planters and urns from Impruneta, Italy. For over twenty years we have provided terra cotta planters and urns to America's most beautiful gardens, both large and small. We have also placed terracotta pots in some of the most prestigious institutions in this country, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The New York Botanical Garden, Longwood Gardens, Biltmore Estate and the Boston Public Library. We are very proud of our reputation as the leading supplier of the highest quality terra cotta in the world.
When we founded Seibert & Rice in 1994, there was a serious dearth of quality terra cotta pots on the market. Eyes lit up when we introduced our first collection of handmade Italian terracotta flower pots at the New York Flower Show in 1995, where we won Best In Show. Very few people had seen Impruneta terracotta outside of Europe, and almost no one had even heard of Impruneta. At first, people had a hard time believing that our terra cotta was really frost proof. But eventually they were all delighted when the pots they left outside, intentionally or unintentionally, survived cold winters unscathed.
Now, Impruneta terracotta is well known in the U.S. as the finest terra cotta available. We are proud to have introduced Impruneta terra cotta to the American market and to remain the leading provider of the best terra cotta that Impruneta has to offer. We have expanded our collections and added the American Collection of pots designed by American designers and handmade in Impruneta. However, we have remained committed to selling only Impruneta terra cotta. It is, after all, the best in the world.