majolica


Out of curiosity, I looked up on line what Majolica was? I discovered Majolica is a form of pottery. The history of Majolica pottery says that it was introduced at London's Crystal Palace in 1851. Majolica pieces reflect a Victorian interest in the natural sciences of botany, zoology and entomology. The pottery is vibrant with a lustrous glaze.

Majolica pottery pieces were modeled in high relief and feature butterflies, insects, flowers, leaves, fruit, shells, animals and fish. It proved to be very successful with the public due to the approval of Queen Victoria. Majolica pottery wasn't cheap at that time but it was more affordable than china or porcelain and the middle class of England ate it up! 

There was a very specific production method used for Majolica pottery. Very soft porous earthenware pieces were fired at low temperature to a biscuit stage. The fired piece was covered with an opaque background enamel made from metal-oxide. When dried the design elements of brightly colored paints and glazes were applied. The result was a beautiful collectors piece of Majolica pottery.