What it is and technique
The adobacossis (woodcutter) fixed cossis, gibrells, ribelles and other broken pieces of clay: he joined the pieces with wire passed through holes and folded, so that the pieces were together and closed well. It was a traveling trade, which was announced loudly on the street. The official repertoire of jobs of the Government includes him as cordador d'olles.
Process step by step
1. Fit the pieces of the piece.
2. Drill pairs of holes on both sides of the crack (with bow drill, general practice; check).
3. Pass the filferro (or staple) and fold it inside.
4. Strènyer until the pots are well joined.
5. Seal the joint so that it does not lose water (to check the material).
Forms and objects
- Repaired parts: cossi i bugada , ribella , pot, cassola i perol , alfàbia, gerra i gerricó .
- Visible trace: wire seams on the ceramic.
Vocabulary
- adobacossis — who fixes cossis and broken pieces of clay with wire (pronunciation documented in Palma and Llucmajor).
- adobacossis i ribells — form of Manacor; echoes the cry of the traveling repairman.
- cordador d'olles — name of the trade in the artisan repertoire.
- marinate — fix.
- filferro — wire.
- test — piece of broken ceramic.
- Synonyms in other areas: lligador, estanyaire, adobapaelles.
Geography
- Ambulance; DCVB documents the word in Palma, Llucmajor and Manacor.
Short story
- No Majorcan dates in the sources consulted.
- 20th century: plastic and the cheaper clay make repair unnecessary.
State
Disappeared as a traveling trade. Register of artisans (consultation 10/13/2026): 1 registration of cordador d'olles in Mallorca.
Why is it design
- Visible as aesthetic repair (Majorcan parallel to kintsugi).
- Value of the object: a pot deserved to be sewn.
- The scream as an announcement: the word of the office is born from its proclamation.
For the project
- Workshop or “sewn ceramic” piece with a ceramist from Pòrtol and visible wire.
- Collect proclamations from traveling trades (adobacossis, marxando, esmolador).
Frequently asked questions
What is Adobacossis and cordadors d'olles (pot menders)?
The adobacossis (woodcutter) fixed cossis, gibrells, ribelles and other broken pieces of clay: he joined the pieces with wire passed through holes and…
Who practises Adobacossis and cordadors d'olles (pot menders) in Mallorca today?
The Balearic Islands Crafts Register lists 1 artisans linked to this craft, in Sóller.
What are the traditional words for Adobacossis and cordadors d'olles (pot menders)?
Some words: adobacossis, adobacossis i ribells, adobar, cordador d'olles, filferro, test.
Sources
Working text from the Disseny Indígena knowledge base, machine-translated from Spanish.