THEil & NOW

Joyful These colorful are a rich realm for collectors.

By Doris Goldstein

Exhi• bition. n Italian it is ""; its usually bearing a family's coat-of-arms; Minton's art Anghcized version is "majolica." and objects for daily use. In March 2003, director, Leon Regardless of the spelling, this Christie's Paris sold a superb maiolica Arnoux, was an admirer of Bernard tin-glazed deco• example from the estate of Cecile de Palissy's 16th-century taience embellished rated with colorful hues has Rothschild: a circa-1520 plate from with realistic three-dimensional snakes, been admired and prized Faenza depicting a young man holding a lizards and insects on plates and vases. throughout the centuries. The banner, which brought $336.386. Minton sought to imitate Palissy's use of tradition began with Middle Eastern One of the most innovative types of natural themes but chose a menagerie of potters who developed a white tin-glaze maiolica was i..Jtoriato (narrative wares), ducks, rabbits, foxes and geese instead of to cover earthenware and created a sur• which told a story. Introduced in the reptiles and sea creatures. face for applying polychrome decora• 16th century in the towns of Urbino and Othet- potters followed. In 1861, tion. The invading Moors brought this Pesaro, they often were based on the George Jones introduced majolica oyster technique to Spain in the eighth cen• works of Renaissance artists, including plates, sardine boxes and game pie dishes tll1"y; hy the 14th cen tury, Spain was Raphael and Albrecht Durer. exporting metallic lusterware to Italy via By the 19th cenLwy, majohca, as it was the Mediterranean island of Majorca. now ~alled, had come to mean a white An itaLian majolica plate from FacllZll Indeed, it has long been thought earthenware that had been (dope), J 5J 0-20. A coLLecL-ulI1of GeOl:lJe that "majolica" was derived from painted with rich lustrous colors and fin• JOlle.l d work" (heLow, left to right): MajoLica "Majorca," which Dante referred to in ished with a clear lead glaze. The most cobalt bLue-groullo large mug, J 872,. .Jlraw• his "Divine Comedy" as the "isola de famous name in is Her• berry dpOOI1,c. /880,. mrlJilli.cacobaLt Majolica." But there are other theories. bertMinton, a Stoke-on-Trent potter, hllle-grollll() "fuLLnNt" gam.e pie oiJh and For example, Wendy Watson, author whointroduced his color[ulhigh-reJjef covel; 1873,' majoLica cobalt 61ue-grolll7d of itaLian Renai,uance .1 from the earthenware at London's 1851 Great "bullting" beel'jug ano covel; c. J 875. Howard I. ano Janet H. Stein CoLLection and the Philadelphia Mu"ewn of Art, con• tends the word stems from the Spanish "bra de MaLLequa ("Malaga wares"), a term used for the lustered pottery of Hispano-Moresque Spain. Once in Italy, majolica hecame m

84 ART & ANTIQUES