MAJOLICA, A TRADITION OF ITALIAN CERAMICS

Majolica is a traditional Italian pottery. The glazed white background comes from a tin-oxide which has been in use for hundreds of years. Majolica's most outstanding feature is its splendidly colorful decoration. Unlike paintings or tapestries, the decoration remains unfaded, just as it was when it left the potter's workshop. Majolica is usually associated with the Renaissance, when the craft's aesthetic quality was at its peak. However, it had been made in Italy since the thirteenth century and is still being produced there today. One of the major production centers during the Renaissance was the central region of Italy, known today as TUSCANY.

Majolica's introduction long preceded the use of the word 'majolica', which is the medieval name for the Spanish island of Majorca. Ships carrying lusterware from Valencia, Spain would stop at this island on their way to Italy. The tin-glazed technique originated in Mesopotamia during the ninth century, almost certainly in an effort to emulate white stonewares and early porcelains imported from China. It was soon found to provide an excellent surface for colored decoration, and this was largely responsible for its popularity in later periods. The Majolica pottery that is produced at TUSCAN POT is derived from the same materials (clay from Tuscany), techniques and traditions that artisans crafted in Italy 500 years ago.