ITALIAN POTTERY and CERAMICS
About Italian Pottery (Majolica)
Majolica pottery or more broadly known as Italian pottery, has a long artistic history. Not originally invented by the Italians, it was found in the Middle East as early as 9th Century. In the ensuing 200 years, Islamic ceramics, which was widespread in adorning buildings, spread westward, both by trade routes and by returning crusaders. Many potters migrated to Morocco and eventually Moorish Spain, bringing with them their secret methods, and large amounts of lustreware. Merchants based on the island Majorca shipped so much of this pottery from Spain to Italy that it became forever associated with the island. After the Moors were thrown out of Spain, majolica potters migrated to Italy near the river Metauro in the towns of Deruta, Gubbio, and Faenza where numerous clay deposits were located.. During this time, the Italians picked up on working with tin glazed pottery. Originally, the Italians copied the Spanish designs verbatim, but never mastered the luster that the Spanish or Moorish potters exhibited, but compensated by using different colors to emulate luster. For the next three hundred years, the Italian pottery grew exponentially and dominated the European pottery market. The majolica of Deruta is noted for its stylized portrait heads and figures and seems to have been the first Italian ware to adopt (c.1500) the Valencian technique of using luster glazes to produce metallic and iridescent effects.
In the late 15th century majolica became more decorative and less functional. Dishes and vases were designed primarily for display and not for daily use. Many of the pictographs were from Roman history, mythology, and the Bible. Portraits became very popular especially with the painting of plates or bowls called Coppa Amatoria, Lover's Cup: a dedication to a loved one. Very large plates called Piatti da Pompa, Pompous Plates, were also created, to honor a particular event or person. Towards the end of the 16th century the Istoriato style became the highest artistic _expression of Italian Renaissance Maiolica. Some famous artists of Istoriato style are: Niccolo' da Urbino, Francesco Santo Avelli, Mastro Giorgio, Baldassarre Manoro and Orazio Fontana. The creations from this extraordinary period shows figures whose characters have proper proportions and accurate coloration not seen before. By this time Italian Maiolica was so popular that Maiolica, everywhere else in Europe, had been translated into a new word: Faience, from the Maiolica town of Faenza. One of the most important things made in Majolica is tableware, including the celebrated apothecary Jar, Albarello in Italian, used in pharmacies to store drugs, herbs, and other sundries. Dinnerware were produced in Faenza, Deruta and Castelli. These services were commissioned by aristocratic families who wanted to impress their guests by having the family coat of arm emblazoned on each plate.The introduction of Maiolica dishes actually made eating more hygienic, as each guest was afforded their own setting, in comparison to the customary family style. The dispersal of Italian pottery craftsmen, particularly from Faenza, exerted a profound influence on European pottery styles where, in the early 17th century, the tin-glaze technique was used to imitate Chinese porcelain. When kaolin, the hence unknown secret ingredient in porcelain was discovered in Germany in the 18th century, porcelain became the favorite tableware and Italian pottery ceased to dominate the market.
Although not as popular in the 19th century, private collectors and Museums started collecting all original Renaissance pieces and that helped to revive interest in the Renaissance traditional Majolica. Soon artisans were creating perfect copies that rivaled the originals! Today Italian pottery is still known worldwide for its artistic beauty! Click for another article on Italian Ceramics!
