Auténtica Cerámica

Auténtica Cerámica is a Valencian company, a pioneer in combining origin and craftsmanship, which gives its pieces a distinctive value. Below we present two of its five collections: Aquae and Manrique.

They are two different ways of working fired clay: Aquae is a handmade stoneware made with coloured clays, suitable for floors and walls, indoors and out; Manrique is a glazed black-body tile designed for walls. We look at what each one is, their formats, thicknesses and colours as the brand presented them in 2021, and what to bear in mind when specifying them.

Origin and craftsmanship as a starting point

The brand sums up its approach in two words: origin and craftsmanship, which it defines as “distinguishing values and identifying features of a new brand”. Its website links it to Ácrata Cerámica, based in Vila-real (Castellón).

In 2021, Auténtica Cerámica's catalogue comprised five collections:

• Aquae: coloured-clay stoneware for floors and walls, indoors and outdoors.
• Manrique: glazed black-body ceramic wall tiles.
• Morgan: handmade coloured-clay stoneware, 12 mm thick, for floors and walls.
• Vasari: handmade glazed stoneware with translucent glazes, for interior floors and walls.
• Serena: extruded, glazed stoneware wall tiles in a 15×30 cm format.

The table summarises the main data for the two collections we present in this article.

Aquae: earth and fire, water and light

Handmade stoneware of coloured clays fired at high temperature.

The Aquae family is a handmade stoneware made with selected coloured clays and fired at high temperature, resulting in pieces with a highly expressive surface. It is suitable for both floors and walls, indoors and outdoors, which multiplies its possible applications: from the bathroom or kitchen to terraces and patios.

Formats and reliefs

The collection offers three plain formats: 11×11 and 11×22 cm, 8 mm thick, and 22×22 cm, 12 mm thick. These are joined by two 11×30 cm rectangular pieces in relief, Picos and Ondas, intended for projects seeking evocative, durable textures on the wall. The manufacturer states that other formats and trim pieces are available on enquiry.

Colours and finishes

The pieces are made in twelve colours that bring out the natural tones of the raw material: 01 arena, 02 tórtola, 03 pedra, 04 lava, 05 musgo, 06 menta, 07 isla, 08 ocean, 09 rose, 10 coral, 11 terra and 12 caldera. The range runs from soft, almost pastel tones to deeper earths and greys.

Each colour is offered in two finishes: unspeckled, with a smooth, even surface, and speckled, in which small dots are scattered across the surface and give it a more mineral look. The Picos and Ondas relief pieces are only made unspeckled.

Manrique: a volcanic soul with a glazed skin

A black body beneath a coloured glaze.

Another interesting proposal from Auténtica Cerámica is the Manrique collection, a handmade black-body ceramic wall tile, glazed and fired at high temperature. In its 2021 product sheet, the manufacturer presented it as suitable for interior and exterior walls.

It is made 8 mm thick and in small formats that allow very different bonds to be composed: rectangular 5.5×13.5 and 5.5×27 cm, square 11×11 cm, hexagonal (hexa) 11×12.5 cm, scale 10×11 cm and mosaic 2.6×13.5 cm. As with Aquae, other formats and trim pieces are available on enquiry.

The colour chart comprises sixteen colours: 01 nieve, 02 arena mate, 03 crema, 04 madreperla, 05 selva, 06 cala, 07 laguna, 08 océano, 09 ibón, 10 coral, 11 ceniza, 12 gris, 13 grafito, 14 viola, 15 caramelo and 16 natural.

Key points for specifying Aquae and Manrique

Before taking them into a project, it is worth bearing these points in mind:

• Floor or wall: Aquae can be used on floors and walls; Manrique is a wall tile and is not intended for floors.
• Two thicknesses in Aquae: the 11×11 and 11×22 cm formats are 8 mm thick and the 22×22 cm format 12 mm. If they are combined on the same plane, the difference has to be resolved during installation.
• Reliefs only unspeckled: the Picos and Ondas pieces only exist in the unspeckled finish, something to bear in mind if they are to be combined with speckled plain pieces.
• Real samples: in handmade production, colour, glaze and surface are better judged with pieces in hand than from a printed chart.
• Installation and maintenance: the manufacturer asks to be consulted on both, as well as on special formats and trim pieces.

Handmade ceramics are best understood at full scale: the colour of the clay, the speckling or the sheen of a glaze over a black body do not come across in the same way on a screen. At Matter we help you find the right ceramic wall or floor tile for your project and compare materials with your technical team.