Majolica Furniture
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Material: Majolica
Victorian Antique Majolica Jardinière of the Four Seasons by Minton
By Minton
Located in London, GB
Victorian antique Majolica jardinière of the Four Seasons by Minton
English, c. 1905
Measures: Height 39cm, diameter 32cm
This charact...
Category
Early 1900s English Renaissance Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica
Byzantium Vase Hand Painted Ceramic Italy Contemporary 21st Century Majoilica
Located in London, GB
Byzantium Vase 2024, full-fire reduction faience earthenware (majolica) 28 cm diameter x 36 cm height hand painted unique piece.
Bottega Vignoli is a brand of artistic ceramics ba...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Classical Roman Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Earthenware, Majolica
1950s Large Italian majolica leopard cub glazed sculpture 43hx43x33cms
Located in Firenze, FI
1950s hand-made Italian Majolica Leopard cub. Made in Italy!
Handcrafted + hand painted (see bottom pics)
Dimensions: 43 height x 43 x 34 cms (17x17x...
Category
1950s Italian Vintage Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Majolica, Terracotta
Majolica Fish Sealife Platter Vallauris, circa 1950
By Vallauris
Located in Austin, TX
Majolica sealife platter Vallauris, circa 1950.
High relief of 2 fishs, seaweeds, garlic.
Nautical style.
8.5 inches diameter
Category
1950s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Faience, Majolica
Midcentury French Hand Painted Barbotine Jardinière with Floral and Leaf Motifs
Located in Dallas, TX
This elegant antique Majolica vase was sculpted in France, circa 1950. This colorful cachepot has a traditional hand painted decor embellished with high relief flowers and leaves in ...
Category
Mid-20th Century French Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Majolica
19th Century Majolica Pheasant Plate Choisy Le Roi
Located in Austin, TX
Majolica plate with a pheasant in the woods signed Hippolyte Boulenger Choisy le Roi, circa 1890.
The manufacture of Choisy le Roi was one of the most important manufacture at the e...
Category
1890s French Country Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Majolica
Vintage French Christine Viennet Hand Crafted "Trompe L'Oeil" Vegetable Plate
Located in Dallas, TX
Decorate a shelf or a kitchen wall with this elegant and "One-of-a-Kind" hand crafted barbotine "Trompe L'Oeil" decorative plate. Crafted in southern France, and very realistic, the ...
Category
Late 20th Century French Majolica Furniture
Materials
Faience, Majolica, Porcelain
Antique Majolica Parrot Bird Dogwood Flower Basketweave Creamer Pitcher 7"
Located in Dayton, OH
Antique Majolica bas relief parrot / bird / owl / hummingbird and dogwood flower creamer / syrup / honey pitcher or jug featuring a basketweave ground accented with interlocking circ...
Category
Late 19th Century Victorian Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica
Ceramic Vase Byzantine Hand Painted Majolica Italy Contemporary 21st Century
Located in London, GB
Bottega Vignoli, Byzantium vase, 2022 Full-fire reduction earthenware 17cm x 37cm height. unique piece hand-painted Italian majolica.
Bottega Vignoli is a brand of artistic ceramics...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Classical Roman Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Majolica
Villeroy & Boch Art Nouveau Tubelined Floral Majolica Pottery Tazza
Located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
A very stylish Villeroy & Boch Art Nouveau Majolica pottery tazza or cake stand decorated with tubelined floral designs dating circa 1900. The tazza stands on a bell shaped foot and ...
Category
Early 1900s German Art Nouveau Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica
Pair of Urbino Style Majolica Vases, Early 20th Century
Located in New York, NY
With entwined serpent handles, painted in colors on both sides of the bodies with biblical scenes.
Category
Early 20th Century Italian Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica
Pair of French Majolica Rooster & Hen Circa 1890
Located in Austin, TX
Pair of French Majolica Rooster & Hen attributed to George Dreyfus Circa 1890.
Hen : H / 8" ,5.5" by 3"
Rooster : H / 10" , 5.5" by 3"
Category
1890s French Rustic Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Faience, Majolica, Pottery
Minton Pottery Majolica Sardine Box with Fish Motifs 19th Century Victorian Era
By Minton
Located in New York, NY
Minton majolica sardine box with raised fish motifs, from the late 19th century (Victorian era). It measures 9'' in depth by 7 1/2'' in width by 4'' in height (recipient measures 4 1...
Category
Late 19th Century English Victorian Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica, Pottery
French Majolica Elephant
Located in New York, NY
From Normandy, rare extra-large Bavent French Majolica elephant. White glaze finish, two-tone brown woven blanket and ceremonial basket. This charmin...
Category
20th Century French Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica
Minton Majolica Cherubs Vase
By Minton
Located in Chelmsford, Essex
Minton Majolica vase which features climbing cherubs and water lilies. Turquoise ground version. Colouration: turquoise, green, ochre, are predominant. The piece bears maker's marks ...
Category
1870s Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica
Charger Plate Blue Butterflies Gold Luster Hand-Painted Italian Ceramic
By deBlona
Located in Recanati, IT
This exquisite Italian hand-painted ceramic charger plate is part of the 'Petalouda' Collection by deBlona. Featuring a mesmerizing butterfly motif, the design showcases shimmering b...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Majolica Furniture
Materials
Gold Plate
English Majolica Pink Geranium Plate, circa 1880
Located in Austin, TX
English Majolica Pink Geranium Plate, circa 1880.
Category
1880s English Victorian Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Faience, Majolica
Pompei Moon Jar Hand Painted Ceramic Italy Contemporary 21st Century Majoilica
Located in London, GB
Pompei moon jar, 2024, full-fire reduction faience earthenware (majolica) 30 cm diameter, hand painted unique piece.
Bottega Vignoli is a brand of artistic ceramics based in Faenza, one of the most representative ceramic production centres in Italy. Founded in 1976 by sisters Saura and Ivana, Bottega Vignoli stands out for its limited production, accurate details and skilful experimentation resulting in stunning unique and one of a kind pieces. Their style is immediately recognizable and expressly follows the path...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Classical Roman Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Earthenware, Majolica
Antique Majolica Pottery Porcelain Asparagus Platter, Circa 1900
Located in New Orleans, LA
Antique Majolica pottery porcelain Asparagus platter, Circa 1900.
Category
Early 1900s Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica
Mid Century Majolica XL Centerpiece Signed Vallauris, France 1950s
By Vallauris
Located in Valencia, VC
Majolica XL Vallauris Signed Centerpiece – Chard Leaf (1950s, France)
Handmade in France circa the 1950s, this large Vallauris majolica centerpiece is shaped like a chard leaf, feat...
Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Clay, Earthenware, Majolica
19th Century French Hand Painted Ceramic Barbotine Soldier Pitcher by Onnaing
By Onnaing
Located in Dallas, TX
This antique Majolica water pitcher was crafted by Onnaing in Northern France, circa 1880. The colorful pitcher features a brave soldier dressed...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Majolica
Large French Pottery Majolica Pheasant Tureen circa 1930
Located in Austin, TX
Large French Pottery Majolica Pheasant Tureen circa 1930.
Category
1930s French Rustic Vintage Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Faience, Majolica, Pottery
Late 19th Century Majolica Plate with Publican Portrait, by J. Maresch Austria
Located in Nuernberg, DE
A large Austrian majolica plate, circa 1880-1890s. The plate represent a publican on a green background surrounded by grapes and leaves with a...
Category
Late 19th Century Austrian Late Victorian Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Majolica
Antique Majolica French Barbotine Dog Rose Flower Blossom Water Pitcher Jug 6"
Located in Dayton, OH
Antique Majolica French Barbotine pitcher / jug / carafe featuring a green and brown field with wild dog rose flower blossoms and a twig / branch handl...
Category
Late 19th Century Victorian Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica
Unusual Arts and Crafts Footed Goblet Vase by Schwaz, Austria
Located in Clifton Springs, NY
Unusual tall goblet shaped vase was hand decorated with complex abstract flower pattern in cobalt blue, marigold yellow, and sage green on the base and the body of the vase. The hig...
Category
20th Century Austrian Arts and Crafts Majolica Furniture
Materials
Porcelain, Ceramic, Faience, Majolica
Sky Ceramic Plate Hand Painted Glazed Majolica Italian Contemporary 21st Century
Located in London, GB
Hand painted ceramic plate "Sky" series by Pantoù Ceramics, hand thrown and hand painted glazed earthenware. All unique pieces, Italy, 2021. Measure: 4...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Majolica
Minton majolica game pie tureen with hunting dog, late 19th Century
By Minton
Located in Paris, FR
This late 19th-century Minton majolica game pie tureen and cover offer a glimpse into the richness of Victorian dining. The cover features a meticulously molded hunting dog nestled amidst ferns, evoking scenes of countryside pursuits. The basketweave sides are adorned with detailed depictions of a hare and pheasant, while elegant branch handles and scroll feet complete the ensemble, showcasing the exquisite craftsmanship typical of the era.
This piece bears impressed marks on the underside, indicating its authenticity and heritage. Despite its age, this tureen remains a testament to Minton's mastery of majolica artistry.
Please note the condition report: while the tureen itself is in good condition, the dish has sustained damage, including little cracks and losses to the glazing. Crazing is present throughout, with evidence of heat damage to the base. These imperfections, however, do not detract from the overall beauty and historical significance of this piece.
Ideal for collectors of Victorian ceramics...
Category
19th Century English Victorian Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Majolica
Unique French Barbotine 19th Century Ormolu Mounted Rectangular Jardinière
Located in London, GB
A very large ornate French jardinière Napoleon III period, painted in the 18th century style'' en grisalle'' with putti or cherubs re -enacting mythological scenes. The top part of the jardinière is hand-painted to resemble cloissone.
The base is very fine ormolu, with cast men’s head...
Category
19th Century French Neoclassical Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica
1920’s Majolica Brush McCoy Blended Glaze Jardiniere
By Brush Mccoy
Located in Charleston, SC
Antique Brush McCoy Green Brown Glaze Majolica Pottery
A blended glaze jardiniere from McCoy. Glaze contains blue, green, brown and yellow. No chips or cracks, but some factory flaw...
Category
1920s American Art Nouveau Vintage Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica, Pottery
18th-19th Century Spanish Colonial Majolica Pottery Angel Vase
Located in New York, NY
Antique Spanish Colonial majolica pottery vase, with hand painted floral design on front. Two angels adorn the upper rim, appearing at the top of each side peering out over their ang...
Category
19th Century Guatemalan Spanish Colonial Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica, Pottery
19th Century Majolica Hen & Chicks Plate Choisy Le Roi
Located in Austin, TX
Majolica plate with hen & chicks signed Hippolyte Boulenger Choisy le Roi, circa 1890.
The manufacture of Choisy le Roi was one of the most important manufacture at the end of 19th c...
Category
1890s French Country Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica
Decorative Object Vase Majolica Decorated Deruta Midcentury Italian Design 1950s
By Deruta
Located in Palermo, IT
Vase made of hand-painted majolica in shades of blue, avion, white and gold, with decorations depicting women. Made in Italy in the 1950s with Deruta signature underneath. (as can be...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica
Set of Three Majolica Pieces, 19th & 20th Century, Floral Hand-Painted Designs
Located in Auribeau sur Siagne, FR
Set of Three Majolica Pieces, 19th & 20th Century, Floral Hand-Painted Designs
Description:
This beautiful set of three Majolica pieces, consisting of a sugar bowl, a plate, and a small dish, is a charming blend of 19th- and 20th-century craftsmanship. The hand-painted floral motifs, featuring red flowers intertwined with brown and green branches and leaves, create a rich, organic aesthetic. While two pieces date back to the 19th century, the small dish from the 20th century complements the set with its slightly deeper green glaze, adding a harmonious contrast to the ensemble.
Key features include:
Authentic Majolica Craftsmanship: Made from glazed ceramic, these pieces exemplify the vivid, glossy finishes and delicate relief work characteristic of Majolica pottery.
Elegant Floral Decor: The intricately painted red flowers, accompanied by earthy brown branches and lush green leaves, lend a natural and timeless charm to each piece.
Harmonious Color Palette: While each item features a unique glaze, the cohesive color scheme ensures they complement one another, making them ideal for display or functional use.
Versatile Use: Perfect as a decorative set for a kitchen or dining room, these pieces can also serve a practical purpose—the sugar bowl for sweeteners, the plate for serving, and the dish for small delicacies.
Antique Patina & Glossy Finish: The natural patina and high-gloss glaze highlight the rich colors and intricate detailing, making this set a beautiful collector's item.
Historical Charm: Combining two 19th-century pieces with a 20th-century Majolica dish, this set is a wonderful representation of traditional European ceramic artistry.
This Majolica set of three is more than just tableware—it is a testament to historic craftsmanship, offering both decorative appeal and everyday functionality. Whether displayed in a classic or rustic interior or used as part of a unique kitchen setting, it adds a touch of vintage elegance and timeless artistry.
Keywords: 19th-century Majolica pottery, hand-painted floral ceramics, vintage Majolica sugar...
Category
19th Century French French Provincial Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Majolica
Set of Three 18th Century Large Italian Majolica Plaques
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Set of three large Italian Majolica plaques. Each of them painted with a different scenery. Italy, 18th century.
Dimensions:
Plaque with grouping Il...
Category
18th Century Italian Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica
Vallauris Extra Large Majolica Ceramic Scalloped Leaf Platter / Centerpiece
By Vallauris
Located in Barcelona, ES
Eye-catching large leaf shaped glazed ceramic platter, serving tray or centerpiece manufactured by Vallauris. France, 1950-1960s.
Interesting to be used as decorative centerpiece bow...
Category
20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Majolica, Pottery
Italian Blue and White Albarello Jar with Cartouche and Landscapes, 19th C
Located in Dallas, TX
Hand-painted with a pastoral landscape beneath a coat of arms, this Italian albarello jar from the 1800s has a beautiful cobalt blue and white palette. The heraldic cartouche depicts...
Category
19th Century Italian Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Majolica, Paint
Midcentury Italian Carved Painted Ceramic Planter Composition with Swan Decor
Located in Dallas, TX
Decorate a table or console with this colorful antique majolica planter. Crafted in Italy, circa 1960, the large, decorative ceramic composition features a swan standing on the edge of a flower pot. The whimsical cache pot is wide and round with an ornate, sculptural quality. The barbotine planter...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Majolica
Cantagalli Renaissance Revival Majolica Lamp Yellow with Vibrant Flower Design
By Cantagalli
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Light up your home with this Cantagalli Majolica Lamp in a vibrant yellow hue and vivacious flower design. Hand-crafted and adorned with meticulous...
Category
Mid-20th Century European Renaissance Revival Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica
French Green Majolica Iris Pitcher circa 1900
Located in Austin, TX
French green Majolica iris pitcher circa 1900-1910.
Category
Early 1900s French Art Nouveau Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Faience, Majolica
Majolica Rooster Large Spill Vase Signed Louis Carrier-Belleuse, French, ca 1890
Located in Banner Elk, NC
Majolica Cockerel Spill Vase by Choisy-le-Roi, naturalistically modeled and glazed as a crowing rooster on a molded barnyard base, the rectangular va...
Category
19th Century French Victorian Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica
Majolica Cyclamens Cache Pot Onnaing, circa 1900
By Onnaing
Located in Austin, TX
French Majolica cyclamens square cache pot planter signed Onnaing, circa 1900.
Art Nouveau period.
Category
Early 1900s French Art Nouveau Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Majolica
19th Century Green Majolica Mallard Duck Plate Choisy Le Roi
Located in Austin, TX
19th Century Green Majolica Mallard Duck Plate Hippolyte Boulenger Choisy le Roi, circa 1890.
The manufacture of Choisy le Roi was one of the most important manufacture at the end of...
Category
1890s French Country Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Majolica
Early 20th Century French Painted Ceramic Barbotine Figure Pitcher by Onnaing
By Onnaing
Located in Dallas, TX
This large majolica water pitcher with back handle was crafted by Onnaing in Northern France, circa 1910. The colorful pitcher depicts the French collector assessor Camille Pelletan, sited on a sign which reads "Reforme Urgente". The antique ceramic jar...
Category
Early 20th Century French Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Majolica
Rare Fratelli Fanciullacci for Elbee Gilt and Sgraffito Vase, Italy Mid Century
Located in Clifton Springs, NY
Rare Modernist vase with complex textured glazes, scraffito, and gilt decor was created by Fratelli Fanciullacci for Elbee Imports. Top and bottom parts of the vase are decorated wi...
Category
20th Century Italian Organic Modern Majolica Furniture
Materials
Gold
19th Century French Majolica Chesnut Pitcher Salins
By Salins
Located in Austin, TX
Rare French Majolica chesnut pitcher Salins ( East of France ), circa 1890.
Category
1890s French Aesthetic Movement Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica, Ceramic
George Jones Majolica Maple Leaf and Ferns Plate on a Brown Ground, ca. 1870
By George Jones
Located in Banner Elk, NC
George Jones Majolica Maple Leaf and Ferns Plate, English, ca. 1870, the relief molded dish with a central green-glazed maple leaf with ferns on a brown ground, the rim banded in yel...
Category
19th Century English Victorian Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica
French Majolica White Rose Vase Circa 1900
Located in Austin, TX
French Majolica White Rose Vase Circa 1900.
H / 6.5 inches.
Category
Early 1900s French Art Nouveau Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Faience, Majolica
Sky Large Ceramic Bowl Hand Painted Glazed Majolica Italian Contemporary
Located in London, GB
SKY - Large ceramic bowl by Pantoù Ceramics, hand thrown and hand painted glazed earthenware.
All unique pieces, Italy, 2021. Measure: 30cm diameter....
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Majolica
Sky Ceramic Plate Hand Painted Glazed Earthenware Italian, Contemporary
Located in London, GB
Hand painted ceramic plate "Sky" series by Pantoù Ceramics, hand thrown and hand painted glazed earthenware. All unique pieces, Italy, 2019. Measure: 25cm diameter.
Pantoù ceramic...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Majolica
Minton Majolica Rabbits with Leaf Dish
By Minton
Located in Chelmsford, Essex
Minton Majolica figural bowl which features two rabbits amongst foliage, supporting a leaf. Colouration: turquoise, green, white, are predominant...
Category
1870s English Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica
Majolica Tobacco Box Pot Jar by Johann Maresch, Austria, circa 1900
Located in Nuernberg, DE
This offer is for one of our rare Majolica items, an exceptional tobacco box pot or jar out of the sack series by Johann Maresch from the beginning of the 20th century. The beautiful...
Category
Early 1900s Austrian Art Nouveau Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica
Majolica Wall Decoration Plate by Johann Maresch, Austria, circa 1900
Located in Nuernberg, DE
This offer is for one of our rare Majolica items, an exceptional wall plate by Johann Maresch from the beginning of the 20th century. The beautiful worked Majolica plate shows Rhine. Like every J. Maresch items the artist took great value...
Category
Early 1900s Austrian Art Nouveau Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica
French Saint Clément Majolica Green & Yellow Lemon Wedge Oyster Plate, c. 1930
Located in Pearland, TX
A lovely antique French majolica oyster plate made at the St. Clement faience factory in France, circa 1920-1930. Maker's mark on reverse. This gorgeous oyster plate has six wells wi...
Category
Early 20th Century French Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Majolica
French Saint Clément Majolica Green & Yellow Lemon Wedge Oyster Plate, c. 1930
Located in Pearland, TX
A lovely antique French majolica oyster plate made at the St. Clement faience factory in France, circa 1920-1930. Maker's mark on reverse. This gorgeous oyster plate has six wells wi...
Category
Early 20th Century French Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Majolica
French Saint Clément Majolica Green & Yellow Lemon Wedge Oyster Plate, c. 1930
Located in Pearland, TX
A lovely antique French majolica oyster plate made at the St. Clement faience factory in France, circa 1920-1930. Maker's mark on reverse. This gorgeous oyster plate has six wells wi...
Category
Early 20th Century French Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Majolica
French Majolica Strawberries Plate Luneville, circa 1880
By Luneville
Located in Austin, TX
French Majolica strawberries plate circa 1880 Luneville.
Category
1880s French Victorian Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Majolica
19th Century Majolica Palissy Ewer Antonio Alves Cunha Caldas da Rainha
Located in Austin, TX
Portuguese majolica pitcher or ewer with cherry motif and branch handle circa 1890 signed Antonio Alves Cunha Caldas da Rainha.
Category
1890s Portuguese Rustic Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica, Ceramic, Faience, Pottery
19th Century Majolica Pears Wall Platter Longchamp
By Longchamp
Located in Austin, TX
19th Century Majolica Pear Wall Platter Longchamp.
11.8 inches diameter.
The manufacture of Longchamp produced this fruits platters with various fruits in four different sizes. Refer...
Category
1880s French Country Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Faience, Majolica
Antique and Vintage Majolica Platters, Pottery and Other Furniture and Decor
The popularity of Victorian majolica, the gaily colored, metallic-oxide-glazed earthenware, has ebbed and flowed for more than a century. Right now, antique and vintage majolica plates, pitchers, decorative objects and other pieces appear to be having a moment — again.
Starting in the 1850s, people in the U.S. and the U.K. embraced these affordable housewares with unusual polychrome palettes (turquoise and pink) and whimsical forms (candlesticks shaped like dolphins). By the 1870s, majolica was being mass-produced for an ever-expanding middle class in countries like England, France, Sweden, Hungary and Portugal. Majolica was Art for Everyman. Its popularity coincided with interest in exotic Japonisme and scientific studies by the likes of Carl Linnaeus, Charles Darwin and John James Audobon.
Despite a similarity in name, Victorian majolica is significantly different in subject matter and form from its Italian forebear, Renaissance maiolica. That earlier earthenware bore gaily painted religious and mythological scenes, and unlike majolica, with its lively contours, was not molded or three dimensional.
What was the attraction of majolica for the 19th-century collector? “Imagine what it looked like in a Victorian interior, with dark woods, heavy drapes and upholstered chairs and sofas,” says Susan Weber, founder of the Bard Graduate Center in New York. “Majolica is robust and extremely tactile. With its naturalistic shapes, colorful glazes and often humorous themes, it appealed to the growing consumer society.”
In England, manufacturers like Minton began to produce decorative, relief-molded majolica tiles for the interiors of taverns, train stations, even the famous Queen’s Dairy at Frogmore, on the grounds of Windsor Castle. In 19th-century France, Sèvres and smaller ceramics firms began to reinterpret the snake-decorated platters made by Bernard Palissy, a 16th-century self-taught French potter. The result was a type of majolica called Palissy ware, which, like the originals, was festooned with odd creatures (lobsters, lizards and snakes) modeled by hand.
The late Moroccan-born, Paris-based decorator Alberto Pinto often placed Palissy ware in his clients’ living rooms, posing individual pieces on brackets against a background of stamped, gilded leather. Pinto, in turn, influenced such contemporary decorators as Harry Heissmann of New York. After 1900, people got swept up in the romanticism of Art Nouveau and ceased buying majolica. The 1970s saw a revival of interest, and in 1982, the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, in New York, organized “English Majolica,” an exhibition featuring 75 examples from Minton, Wedgwood and George Jones, among other makers.
On 1stDibs, find antique and vintage majolica tea sets, vases, candlesticks, tureens and other furniture and decorative objects.
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