majolica

Majolica is a form of tin-glazed earthenware known for a white, opaque ground that provides a bright, glossy surface for painted decoration. The term is commonly used in English to describe both the Renaissance Italian wares called maiolica and a later revival in Britain and elsewhere, though the names are not always interchangeable in contemporary scholarship.

The technique originated with Arabic and Spanish potters and spread to Italy, where it flourished from the 15th century onward. In Italy, major centers such as Faenza, Urbino, Deruta, and Gubbio produced highly regarded maiolica wares that featured vivid, naturalistic motifs, mythological scenes, and intricate borders. The wares were prized for their radiant palette and the contrast between the white glaze and the colored enamels. Production often involved multiple firings: a tin-glazed ground was fired to fix the white surface, then enamel colors were painted and a final glaze was fired to fuse the decoration.

In practice, majolica ware is decorated with metallic oxide colors—cobalt blue, copper greens and reds, manganese purples, and iron tones—applied to the white tin glaze and then fired at relatively low temperatures to produce a durable, glossy surface. The term also covers later revivals, especially in 19th-century Britain, where manufacturers produced bright, sculptural, and often large-scale decorative pieces marketed as majolica.

Today, maiolica/majolica is valued for its historical significance and its vibrant, enamel-like finish. The distinction between the Italian maiolica and the later English usage remains a common source of terminology confusion in collecting and scholarship.