Pottery & Porcelain

Italian Majolica bulbous vase, circa 1530, Faenza painted with an arrangement of scrolling acanthus on an orange ground

Majolica – A Brief History
Majolica gets its name from its Spanish roots. The pottery was originally made on the island of Majorca and imported to Italy soon after. However, the tin glazes that give majolica its distinctive bright colors were developed by Mesopotamian potters in the 11th century. A little later, artisans in Persia developed a technique for the application of enamel colors on glazed and fired pots that were then refired at lower temperatures to prevent color bleed. This was the precursor of the brilliantly colored tin glazed ware that made its appearance during the Italian Renaissance. Although the technique of painting metallic oxides over a tin glazed surface had been used in the 11th century, the Italians adapted, then refined the technique and referred to the pottery as Maiolica.

French Palissy Ware small oval plaque with fish on sand bar in center, snake, lizard, butterfly, shells and plant life

Design & Technology Come Together in Majolica
In 1558, potter Cipriano Michele di Picolpasso published a treatise on the manufacture methods of majolica, noting that, “Opaque white tin enamel glaze was completely applied to a piece to cover the buff body of the clay, and to provide a good surface for painting.” Paint was then applied to the dry but unfired tin glaze, and the piece was then fired at a high temperature. After that, a second, clear glaze overcoat was applied, and the piece was refired. The earliest majolica took its inspiration from classical Greek, Roman and Egyptian themes, employing motifs such as Sphinx heads, Roman Columns, and goats’ feet. In France, artisan Bernard Palissy created a popular line of Majolica ware in the 16th century that emphasized nature and featured remarkable lifelike renditions of wildlife, particularly marine animals and snakes.

Collecting Majolica
Today, collectors who purchase Majolica are buying Victorian Majolica. According to longtime Majolica dealer Jerry S. Hayes, pre-Victorian pieces almost never come to market, and are found exclusively in museums. Hayes recommends the Majolica collection at the Victoria & Albert in London as well as the collection at the New Orleans Museum of Art.

Wedgwood majolica pottery cobalt strawberry server

Early English manufacturers of Majolica included Minton, Wedgwood, George Jones, Joseph Holdcroft, T. Forster, Samuel Lear and S. Fielding. The well-known companies signed their pieces, but the smaller companies, busy producing knock-offs of the industry giants left theirs unidentified, hoping to ride the coat tails of their more successful competitors Much of the majolica collected today is unattributed, but discerning collectors can tell the difference between a major piece and a knock-off by both weight & quality. Mr. Hayes says that collecting majolica has grown in popularity so that most serious collectors have the common pieces and are looking for the rare and unusual. And due to the large number of collectors, what was once considered unusual is becoming easier to find. In terms of value, Hayes recommends avoiding pieces that are damaged, but due to the fragile nature of the ware, believes that restored pieces are fine for most collectors, particularly if the restored piece is one of the hard-to-finds.

-by p4A Contributing Editor Susan Cramer.

Reference & Further Recommended Reading:

Boehm Black-Capped Chickadee bird sculpture

I love Boehm birds. They remind me of my mother, a biology teacher, who would spend her snow days birdwatching in her thick red bathrobe, a cup of instant coffee cooling in one hand, Dad’s Minolta camera with telephoto lens in the other, hunched on the wood floor by the sliding glass door, watching and snapping (and hissing at every interruption). I think of her whenever I see Boehm birds, like the chickadee here, at sale.

Not everyone would admit to liking them. To put it in book terms, to much of the antiques marketplace, hand-painted porcelain figures of almost any kind are sort of the equivalent of Beverly Lewis or Lilian Jackson Braun books. In fact, I think the stereotype would suggest that you’d find bird figurines on shelves next to the complete Cat Who series. But in reality, most lines of hand-painted figurines have impressive histories, and Boehm is no exception. Edward Marshall Boehm (pronounced “Beam”), founded Boehm Porcelain in 1950 at the age of 37, after studying animal husbandry and working for almost a decade as a farm manager. He died in 1969, but in that short time, he established a reputation for incredibly detailed, beautifully painted porcelain, a reputation that was rewarded when a section of the Vatican Museums was named in Boehm’s honor in 1992. (Generally, the galleries and wings of the Vatican Museums are named only for popes or royalty.) Over the years the company has produced birds, flowers, animals, and more, in addition to larger commissioned works.

Of course, works produced when the company was still under Boehm’s oversight are the most valuable, but most of the pieces carry significant resale value, and while at first glance, they might seem like objects likely to be found on a great aunt’s piano, Boehm figurines can be found in the finest museum collections all over the world, so never judge a book or a Boehm figurine by its cover!

-Hollie Davis, Senior Editor, p4A.com

Reference & Further Recommended Reading: