In literature, terra cotta is often invoked not as merely a material but as a warm, earthy hue that bridges the natural and the artistic. Writers use the term to evoke a very specific shade reminiscent of baked clay: one author comments that “this shade of color is on the order of the terra cotta” [1], while another describes a sailor’s suit “streaked terra cotta from the clayey mud of the street” [2] and even a character’s “terra cotta nose” paired with cadet blue eyes [3]. Beyond character descriptions, terra cotta is celebrated as a fashionable and refined tint, with one declaration noting, “Look, I have brought 'terra cotta;' it's a very fashionable colour” [4]. Its role in setting a scene is equally significant; walls tinted with terra cotta conjure images of timeless elegance alongside other rich shades [5], and the color is often equated with brick red in the vernacular of art and design [6]. In matters of nomenclature and synonymy, terra cotta appears alongside hues such as sienna brown and deep Indian red [7] and is catalogued with other “dark rich reds, greens, blues, yellows, pinks…” [8]. Even the transformation of materials is captured poetically when a fired pitcher “became almost terra cotta” in its final, luminous state [9], and nature itself is painted in terra cotta tones, as when a tiger lily’s “great terra cotta petals” are likened to a sturdy queen of beauty [10].