Majolica Furniture
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Material: Majolica
French Majolica Green Pumpkin Gourd (Decorative Antique Coin Piggy Bank)
Located in Atlanta, GA
Add a touch of French elegance to your collection with this exquisite Majolica green pumpkin gourd coin bank. Crafted in France, this antique decorative piece is both charming and fu...
Category
19th Century French French Provincial Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica
French Majolica Heron Saint Clément Pitcher, circa 1900
Located in Austin, TX
Elegant French Majolica Heron Pitcher signed Keller and Guerin Saint Clement, circa 1900.
Category
Early 1900s French Art Nouveau Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Faience, Majolica
19th Century French Majolica Beehive Tobacco Jar
Located in Austin, TX
19th Century French Majolica Beehive Tobacco Jar.
North of France.
Category
1890s French Country Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Majolica
19th Century Majolica Leaves & Pink Flowers Plate Choisy Le Roi
Located in Austin, TX
French Majolica plate signed Choisy le roi, circa 1890.
Decorated with leaves, ferns, pink flowers and Greek border.
Category
1890s French Victorian Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica
Mid-Century Large Oval Majolica Palissy Fish & Lobster Platter Vallauris
By Vallauris
Located in Austin, TX
Large oval Majolica Palissy wall platter Vallauris, circa 1950.
Large fishes, lobster, seaweeds, tomato, garlic.
From Provence, Mediterranean fishes.
Length / 20 inches on 9 inches, ...
Category
1950s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Faience, Majolica
Boxer Dog Life-Size Majolica Statue Sculpture, Glazed Ceramic, Italy, 1970s
Located in Vienna, AT
An eye-catching and ornamental vintage life-size figurine of a boxer dog, standing 34 inches tall. This handcrafted and hand-painted statue, made from glazed ceramic/pottery, was pro...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Majolica, Pottery
Italian Majolica Pharmacy Jar
Located in Bradenton, FL
Late 18th century Italian Majolica Polychrome Pharmacy Jar or Albarello, dated 1777. These jars were use in apothecaries to hold medicinal herbs, powders...
Category
Late 18th Century Italian Classical Roman Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica
Hand Painted Blue Majolica Handles Bowl Centerpiece Ornament Renaissance Deruta
By deBlona
Located in Recanati, IT
This fine majolica centerpiece is made and hand-painted in Deruta, Italy. The Bowl recalls the ancient structure of the Greek cups that were used to mix wate...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Renaissance Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Majolica
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 yellow ocher, the reverse glazed in green and brown tortoiseshell mottling, with painted design number to the thumbprint reserve, '2584,' which corresponds to the entry, 'Plate, 'large maple leaf with ferns round' as recorded in the George Jones Majolica Pattern Books partially preserved in the Wedgwood Archives, Victoria and Albert Museum, and reprinted in Cluett.
BOOK REFERENCES :
Robert Cluett, GEORGE JONES CERAMICS 1861-1951. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., 1998, p. 270. (George Jones Majolica Pattern Numbers, pp. 269--270).
Nicholas M. Dawes, MAJOLICA. New York: Crown Publishers, 199, p. 121, Figure 211.
Victoria Bergesen, MAJOLICA: British, Continental, and American Wares. London: Barrie & Jenkins, 1989, p. 75.
Leslie Bockol, VICTORIAN MAJOLICA. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., 1996, p. 79.
Jeffrey B. Snyder...
Category
19th Century English Victorian Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica
majolika karlsruhe WALL PLATE gustav heinkel 1930s
Located in Mannheim, DE
Very beautiful platter designed by Gustav Heinkel for Majolika Karlsruhe in the early 1930s. Majolika Karlsruhe logo on the backside.
Dimensions: Diameter 7 2/3" (19.5 cm), height 3...
Category
1930s German Art Deco Vintage Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica
Majolica Asparagus Plate with Mums Keller & Guerin Saint Clement
Located in Austin, TX
Majolica Art Nouveau asparagus plate with mums signed Keller et Guerin Saint Clement.
9 inches diameter.
Every important French manufactures produced at the end of the 19th Century a...
Category
Early 1900s French Art Nouveau Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Majolica
Rare Majolica Orchid Jardiniere Delphin Massier, Circa 1890
Located in Austin, TX
Rare Majolica Orchid Jardiniere attributed to Delphin Massier, circa 1890.
Measures: W / 17 inches , H / 8.3 inches.
The Massier family are known f...
Category
1890s French Art Nouveau Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Majolica
Majolica Octogonal Water Lily Asparagus Plate Saint Clement
Located in Austin, TX
Majolica Art Nouveau asparagus plate signed Keller et Guerin Saint Clement, unusual shape.
Every important French manufactures produced at the end of the 19th century asparagus and a...
Category
Early 1900s French Art Nouveau Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Faience, Majolica
French Majolica Poppies Platter , circa 1890
Located in Austin, TX
Rare French Majolica Pink Platter with poppies circa 1890.
Category
1890s French Rustic Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Majolica
Antique English Joseph Roth Majolica Mantel Clock, 19th Century
By Joseph Roth London
Located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
A rare and stylish antique English majolica pottery cased mantel clock attributed to Joseph Roth, London. The clock is lavishly designed with relief moulded floral designs to a shaped four legged base with a the key wind clock...
Category
1880s English High Victorian Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica, Pottery
George Jones Majolica Deer Game Pie Dish and Liner
By George Jones
Located in Chelmsford, Essex
George Jones Majolica game pie dish with liner which features a recumbent deer (doe) forming the handle, on a leafy ground. The dish has a repeating pattern of swirling leaves surrou...
Category
1870s Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica
$10,011 / set
19th Century Majolica Pink and Blue Oyster Plate Gien
By Gien
Located in Austin, TX
Rare 19th century Majolica oyster plate with pastels colors, shells and seaweeds signed Gien.
Category
1890s French Aesthetic Movement Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica, Ceramic
19th Century English Majolica Basket
Located in Austin, TX
English Majolica Victorian basket in pastel colors, circa 1890.
Category
1890s British Victorian Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica, Ceramic
Majolica Flowers Oyster Plate Longchamp, circa 1900
By Longchamp
Located in Austin, TX
Majolica oyster plate with different flowers on each shells, circa 1900 signed Longchamp.
Category
Early 1900s French Romantic Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Majolica
Majolica Fish Sealife Platter Vallauris, circa 1950
By Vallauris
Located in Austin, TX
Majolica sealife platter Vallauris, circa 1950.
High relief of fish, seaweeds and shells.
Nautical style.
Measure: 9.3" diameter.
Category
1950s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Faience, 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
Austrian Majolica Lily Jardinière Greiner & Sohn, circa 1900
Located in Austin, TX
Austrian Majolica Lily Jardinière Julius Greiner & Sohn Bodenbach, circa 1900.
Art Nouveau.
Category
Early 1900s Austrian Art Nouveau Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Faience, Majolica
Fratelli Fanciullacci Majolica Table Lamp, Signed, Brown & Red Flower Reliefs
Located in Clifton Springs, NY
Rare, unusual vintage majolica lamp features abstract graphic decor with large flower motifs, done in relief; the body is mounted on turned solid wood base. The upper part of urn-shaped ceramic body is accentuated with 6 symmetrically placed soft indentations, a common feature for Mid Century Modern glass and ceramic shapes; the strategic placement of the relief elements guides the eye along the complex shape of the lamp. The reliefs are hand-sculpted with light variations in shapes and forms of the leaves and petals and a few visible joint lines, further emphasizing organic, hand-made quality of the lamp. Muted, evocative color palette complements the textured decor and the sculptural body of the lamp without overpowering it. Bordeaux red and teal green glazes are used for the flowers and leaves; the mottled mocha and cappuccino brown background features linear plaid design in the same red color that is used on the relief elements, unifying the colors of the composition.
The lamp is signed on the bottom with FF (for the manufacturer, Fratelli Fanciullacci) and ITALY. It is in good, fully operational vintage condition, with the new socket, brass fittings, and wiring. It stands 17" tall to the top of the socket, and 24.5" - to the top of the finial. It is missing an importer sticker; Fratelli Fanciullacci created variety of majolica lamps for various American importers, such as Raymor, Rosenthal Netter, Ebeling Reuss...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Pottery, Majolica
Large French Majolica Palissy Jardiniere Circa 1880
Located in Austin, TX
French Majolica Palissy jardinière with leaves and branches, circa 1880.
Category
1880s French Rustic Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Faience, Majolica
Rare 19th Century Majolica Strawberries Wall Platter Longchamp
By Longchamp
Located in Austin, TX
Very Rare Colorful 19th Century French Majolica strawberries wall platter signed Longchamp terre de fer. The fruits are in high relief with the leaves and branches.
11.5 inches diame...
Category
1880s French Country Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Faience, Majolica
Mancioli Italy Pheasant lidded Bowl / Tureen With Tail Ladle Vintage 1970s
Located in Clifton Springs, NY
Vintage pheasant tureen with tail ladle was made in Italy by Mancioli Company. The bowl with the lid on forms a shape of a pheasant; the ladle forms its tail. It is decorated in rus...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Majolica Furniture
Materials
Porcelain, Majolica, Pottery
$360 Sale Price
20% Off
Talavera Decorative Lavabo Sink Folk Art Mexican Ceramic Blue White
By Cesar
Located in Queretaro, Queretaro
Elegant white and blue sink lavabo made with the Talavera technique. Artist, Cesar Torres portraits the colonial art of Mexico.
The Talavera is not just a simple painted ceramic: its exquisite decoration is the product of a delicate process of alchemy that translates into fine enamels. In Puebla, Mexico few people still produce using Talavera with the ancestral techniques.
One of those few is Cesar Torres, Don Cesar...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Spanish Colonial Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Clay, Majolica
19th Century Majolica Oyster Flowers Plate Longchamp
By Longchamp
Located in Austin, TX
French Majolica oyster plate with flowers circa 1890 signed Longchamp.
Category
1890s French French Provincial Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Majolica
Antique Belgian Wasmuel Majolica Bird With Cherries Plate, Circa 1890
Located in Pearland, TX
A gorgeous antique Belgian majolica crested bird in a cherry tree plate, Wasmuel, circa 1890. This lovely hand painted plate has brilliant vibrant colors and exquisite detail.
DIMEN...
Category
Late 19th Century Belgian Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica
Large Minton Majolica Renaissance Style Masks Vase
By Minton
Located in Chelmsford, Essex
Minton Majolica vase which features male and female masks with hanging leaves and fruit. Cartouche bands in-between. Colouration: brown, green, bl...
Category
1870s English Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica
Handpainted German Bauhaus Era Pottery Jug Vase - Suprematist Art Deco Design
Located in Bad Säckingen, DE
This unique vintage handpainted pottery jug vase showcases a striking Art Deco Bauhaus design with strong Suprematist-inspired motifs. Crafted in Germany around 1920, this modernist ...
Category
1920s German Bauhaus Vintage Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Majolica
Majolica Carnation Flower Vase Jerome Massier, circa 1900
Located in Austin, TX
Rare Majolica carnation vase signed Jerome Massier, circa 1900.
The Massier family are known for the quality of their unique enamels and paintings. They produced an incredible whole...
Category
Early 1900s French Art Nouveau Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica, Ceramic, Faience
English Victorian Majolica Water Lily Jardinière, circa 1880
Located in Austin, TX
English Victorian Majolica Water Lily Jardinière with the underplate, circa 1880.
Category
1880s British Victorian Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Majolica
Pair of Minton Majolica Spring Daffodil Vases
By Minton
Located in Chelmsford, Essex
Pair of Minton Majolica vases which feature daffodils stood on bulb feet. Cobalt blue ground version. Colouration: cobalt blue, green, white, are predominant. The piece bears maker's...
Category
1860s English Victorian Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica
$7,986 / set
Pair Large Green and Blue Majolica Vases
Located in New York, NY
Pair large green and blue majolica apothecary jar vases. Italian cylindrical ribbed and slightly concave tin glaze earthenware jars by the famed Ca...
Category
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica
$8,800 / set
Majolica Octogonal Water Lily Asparagus Plate Saint Clement
Located in Austin, TX
Majolica Art Nouveau asparagus plate signed Keller et Guerin Saint Clement, unusual shape.
Every important French manufactures produced at the end of the 19th century asparagus and a...
Category
Early 1900s French Art Nouveau Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Faience, Majolica
Talavera Mural Azulejo Tile Folk Contemporary Mexican Ceramic Blue White Mosaic
By Cesar
Located in Queretaro, Queretaro
This contemporary azulejo tile forms a mosaic perfect for kitchen decorations or any exterior space. Made with the Talavera technique. Artist, Cesar Torres portraits the colonial art of Mexico, but this time with a contemporary touch. This wall decoration can be arranged to fit specific spaces or simply hanged as a painting on the wall.
The Talavera is not just a simple painted ceramic: its exquisite decoration is the product of a delicate process of alchemy that translates into fine enamels. In Puebla, Mexico few people still produce using Talavera with the ancestral techniques.
One of those few is Cesar Torres, Don Cesar learned his art in the workshop of the Uriarte family, an excellent workshop where his grandfather worked. In his creations he uses the black and white mud that is obtained from the nearby hills of Loreto and Guadalupe, and colors of mineral origin that he creates in his workshop with recipes from his grandfather.
All the pieces are modeled in a traditional way and go through a production process that usually takes from one to two months, between drying, burning, and painting.
Being surrounded by a living tradition, Cesar Torres Jr., learned from his father since childhood. Architect by profession, Cesar Jr. has come to revolutionize and modernize with new designs and ideas of the current world, nevertheless always respecting the tradition of the processes and materials that make Talavera a Creole art...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Spanish Colonial Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Clay, Majolica
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
19th Century French Majolica Log Tobacco Jar
Located in Austin, TX
19th Century French Majolica Log Tobacco Jar.
Category
1890s French Country Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Majolica
Italian Poodle Ceramic Dog Statue Figurine Vintage, 1980s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Classic early 1980s Italian Poodle Majolica ceramic dog statue figurine. Nice addition to your room or entry hall. Made of Majolica ceramic, hand painte...
Category
1980s Italian Modern Vintage Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Majolica
Majolica Water Lily Asparagus Plate Keller & Guerin Saint Clement
Located in Austin, TX
Majolica Art Nouveau asparagus plate unsigned Keller et Guerin Saint Clement
Every important French manufactures produced at the end of the 19th century asparagus and artichoke sets...
Category
Early 1900s French Art Nouveau Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica
19th Century Majolica Chesnut Jardinière Saint Clement
Located in Austin, TX
19th Century Majolica Chesnut attributed to Jardinière Saint Clement.
Category
Early 1900s French Art Nouveau Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Faience, 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
19th Century Majolica Asparagus Platter or Tureen
Located in Austin, TX
Very unusual 19th Century Majolica Asparagus Platter Tureen.
12.5 by 9.5 inches , H / 2.5 inches.
Category
1880s French Country Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Majolica
French Majolica Otter Pitcher Onnaing, circa 1900
By Onnaing
Located in Austin, TX
French Majolica otter pitcher signed Onnaing, circa 1900.
Category
Early 1900s French Rustic Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica, Ceramic
Pair of Minton Majolica Cobalt-Blue Ground Reticulated Garden Seats, 1871
By Minton
Located in Milan, IT
Splendid Pair of Minton Majolica Cobalt-Blue Ground Reticulated Garden Seats
Shape no. 1364.
Each hexagonal, with a paneled side pierced in the Aesthetic style with yellow-centered w...
Category
1870s British Aesthetic Movement Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica
French 19th Century Brown Majolica Lidded Jar with Moulded Floral Décor
Located in Atlanta, GA
A French brown Majolica lidded jar from the 19th century with green and white moulded floral décor. Born in France during the 19th century, this Majolica jar boasts a lovely brown gr...
Category
19th Century French Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica
Very Rare Villeroy Boch / Mettlach Jardiniere on Flower Columns, 1890
Located in Handewitt, DE
Pair of very rare Villeroy Boch / Mettlach jardiniere on flower columns circa .1890. Richly decorated with ornaments, heads and colors. Very good quality...
Category
19th Century German Art Nouveau Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica
Aldo Londi for Bitossi Majolica Bud Vase and Dresser Box with Lid, Italy
By Aldo Londi, Bitossi
Located in Clifton Springs, NY
Set of vintage majolica bud ewer vase and dresser box with lid features highly textured surfaces with complex teal glaze; the pieces are decorated with abstract flowers and leaves in...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Majolica, Pottery
Antique Majolica Wardle Bamboo Basketweave Dogwood Flower Pitcher Jug 7"
Located in Dayton, OH
Antique Majolica pitcher or jug featuring a chinoiserie bamboo and basketweave design with dogwood flower. Marked on base. Attributed to Wardle Pottery.
Dimensions:
5.25" x 4.25" ...
Category
Late 19th Century Victorian Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica
$500 Sale Price
20% Off
Antique 19th Century French Frie Onnaing Majolica 753 Lion Pitcher Jug 6"
By Frie Onnaing
Located in Dayton, OH
Antique Frie Onnaing Majolica pitcher featuring polychrome glaze with a heraldic lion on each side.
Dimensions:
6" x 3.5" x 4.25" (Width x Depth x Height)
Category
Late 19th Century Victorian Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica
$240 Sale Price
20% Off
Life-Size Italian Boxer Dog Terracotta Ceramic Statue Figurine Vintage, 1960s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Classic early 1960s Italian Boxer Majolica dog statue figurine. Nice addition to your room or entry hall. It is approx. 28.75" high, 18.5" wide and 8 inches deep. Made of Majolica ce...
Category
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica, Terracotta
Antique Majolica Tobacco Jar Munich Child in Hofbrauhaus Keg, Germany 1890s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
This offer is for an antique figural tobacco jar featuring the Munich Child on a keg from Munich's famous Hofbrauhaus. The jar reads "Tabak" (german fo...
Category
Late 19th Century Austrian Art Nouveau Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica
Antique 19th Century English Majolica Green Leaf Handled Plate Platter
Located in Pearland, TX
A superb antique 19th-Century English majolica leaf plate, platter, or handled dish in soft shades of green, pink, and yellow with a decorative branch handle. This lovely platter dis...
Category
Late 19th Century English Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica
Antique Majolica Basketweave Dogwood Flower Creamer Pitcher Jug 6"
Located in Dayton, OH
Antique Majolica creamer pitcher or jug featuring a yellow and brown basketweave motif with dogwood flower accents, twisted handle and acanthus spout.
Dimensions:
5" x 4" x 5.5" (Wi...
Category
Late 19th Century Victorian Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica
$196 Sale Price
20% Off
Nymphenburg majolica parrot on pedestal handmade, hand painted in Germany
Located in München, Bavaria
This majolica parrot and pedestal is the perfect accent for any garden, swimming pool area or sauna space. It has been handcrafted of Nymphenburg majolica in the Nymphenburg studios ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica
Mid-Century French Hand Painted Ceramic Barbotine Bohemian Figure Lidded Box
Located in Dallas, TX
Decorate a shelf with this elegant antique Majolica box. Crafted in France circa 1950, the decorative and whimsical casket is decorated on all four sides in realistic high relief weave motifs. The removable lid features a bohemian figure lying on his side his feet up and holding his head. The colorful porcelain candy box...
Category
Mid-20th Century French Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Majolica
Pair of 19th Century Etruscan Majolica Leaf Plates
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
Highly collectable glazed Majolica plate in greens, yellow and pink. Wonderful ceramic pieces to add to current collection or create new grouping with this fantastic set.
Category
19th Century English Rustic Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Majolica
Set of 6 Minton Majolica Lily Egg Cups
By Minton
Located in Chelmsford, Essex
Set of three Minton Majolica egg cup holders which feature a lily pad base with lily flower egg receptacles. Colouration: green and white are predomi...
Category
1870s English Victorian Antique Majolica Furniture
Materials
Majolica
$2,274 / set
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
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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