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Majolica Furniture

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Material: Majolica
French Pottery Majolica Rabbit Pâté Tureen circa 1950
French Pottery Majolica Rabbit Pâté Tureen circa 1950

French Pottery Majolica Rabbit Pâté Tureen circa 1950

Located in Austin, TX

Large French Pottery Majolica Rabbit Pate Tureen circa 1950.

Category

1950s French Rustic Vintage Majolica Furniture

Materials

Ceramic, Faience, Majolica, Pottery

English Majolica Swan & Fishs Pitcher, circa 1890
English Majolica Swan & Fishs Pitcher, circa 1890

English Majolica Swan & Fishs Pitcher, circa 1890

Located in Austin, TX

Unusual English Majolica Swan & Fishs Pitcher, circa 1890. The handle of the pitcher is a swan and the pitcher is decorated with fishs Height / 8.8 inches.

Category

1880s British Victorian Antique Majolica Furniture

Materials

Ceramic, Majolica

Majolica Pink Stove from Florence
Majolica Pink Stove from Florence

Majolica Pink Stove from Florence

Located in Roma, IT

Majolica stove made by a Florentine company in the 1970s. It can run not only on wood but also on electricity. Excellent condition.

Category

1970s Vintage Majolica Furniture

Materials

Ceramic, Majolica

Minton Majolica Chestnut Server with Spoon
Minton Majolica Chestnut Server with Spoon

Minton Majolica Chestnut Server with Spoon

By Minton

Located in Chelmsford, Essex

Minton Majolica chestnut server which features chestnuts and chestnut leaves. Unusually, the piece still has it's original brass warmer and spoon. Colouration: green, brown, turquois...

Category

1870s Antique Majolica Furniture

Materials

Majolica

Lisa Larson for Gustavsberg Poodle Dog Scandinavian Modern 1963
Lisa Larson for Gustavsberg Poodle Dog Scandinavian Modern 1963

Lisa Larson for Gustavsberg Poodle Dog Scandinavian Modern 1963

Located in Clifton Springs, NY

Poodle is made of white stoneware with shiny light blue glaze and dark blue hand painted decoration. It was designed by Lisa Larson (1931-2024) as part of the "Poodles" (Pudlar) ser...

Category

Mid-20th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Majolica Furniture

Materials

Ceramic, Majolica, Pottery

Antique English Majolica Planter or Jardiniere with Floral Decoration
Antique English Majolica Planter or Jardiniere with Floral Decoration

Antique English Majolica Planter or Jardiniere with Floral Decoration

Located in Hamilton, Ontario

This antique planter is unsigned, but presumed to have originated from England and date to approximately 1890 and done in the period Art Nouveau style. The planter is composed of Maj...

Category

Late 19th Century English Art Nouveau Antique Majolica Furniture

Materials

Majolica

French Majolica Rabbit Pitcher Made  for the Int'l Exhibition in Paris ca 1900
French Majolica Rabbit Pitcher Made  for the Int'l Exhibition in Paris ca 1900

French Majolica Rabbit Pitcher Made for the Int'l Exhibition in Paris ca 1900

Located in Los Angeles, CA

A Rare and highly collectable French glazed ceramic pitcher in the shape of a Rabbit. The design is a wonderfully detailed rabbit wearing a green ribbon bearing a '1900' medallion, ...

Category

Early 20th Century French Country Majolica Furniture

Materials

Ceramic, Faience, Majolica, Paint

19th Century Majolica Palissy Fishs Wall Platter by Victor Barbizet
19th Century Majolica Palissy Fishs Wall Platter by Victor Barbizet

19th Century Majolica Palissy Fishs Wall Platter by Victor Barbizet

By Victor Barbizet

Located in Austin, TX

Large Palissy fishs wall platter on a blue background with bugs, butterfly, lizard, crawfish, shells, leaves as ferns. The School of Paris is composed by makers as Victor Barbizet, F...

Category

1880s French Country Antique Majolica Furniture

Materials

Majolica, Ceramic, Faience

Majolica Palissy Snake & Turtle Wall Platter Circa 1920
Majolica Palissy Snake & Turtle Wall Platter Circa 1920

Majolica Palissy Snake & Turtle Wall Platter Circa 1920

Located in Austin, TX

Majolica Palissy Snake & Turtle Wall Platter Circa 1920. Snake , frog,turtle,shells,leaves, crawfish. 15.5" W by 12.8" H

Category

1920s French Rustic Vintage Majolica Furniture

Materials

Ceramic, Faience, Majolica

Large Oval Majolica Palissy Crab and Fish Wall Platter Vallauris, circa 1950
Large Oval Majolica Palissy Crab and Fish Wall Platter Vallauris, circa 1950

Large Oval Majolica Palissy Crab and Fish Wall Platter Vallauris, circa 1950

By Vallauris

Located in Austin, TX

Large oval Majolica Palissy crab and fish wall platter Vallauris, circa 1950 Large crab in relief, fish’s, shells and seaweeds.    

Category

1950s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Majolica Furniture

Materials

Majolica, Ceramic, Faience

Aldo Londi for Bitossi Majolica Cylinder Vase Blue Prezzemolo Decor
Aldo Londi for Bitossi Majolica Cylinder Vase Blue Prezzemolo Decor

Aldo Londi for Bitossi Majolica Cylinder Vase Blue Prezzemolo Decor

By Bitossi, Aldo Londi

Located in Clifton Springs, NY

Vintage majolica ceramic vase features streamlined cylinder shape and festive "Prezzemolo", or Parsley, decor in blue colorway. The decor consists of abstract geomentic shapes in blu...

Category

20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Majolica Furniture

Materials

Ceramic, Majolica, Pottery

Antique 19th Century French Majolica Floral Plate
Antique 19th Century French Majolica Floral Plate

Antique 19th Century French Majolica Floral Plate

Located in Pearland, TX

A lovely antique French majolica floral plate, circa 1890. This beautiful French country style plate has hand painted pink flowers and leaves on a ligh...

Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Majolica Furniture

Materials

Majolica

Mancioli Italy Pheasant lidded Bowl / Tureen With Tail Ladle Vintage 1970s
Mancioli Italy Pheasant lidded Bowl / Tureen With Tail Ladle Vintage 1970s

Mancioli Italy Pheasant lidded Bowl / Tureen With Tail Ladle Vintage 1970s

By Mancioli Pottery

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, Ceramic

19th Century French Majolica Cache Pot with Poppies Decor
19th Century French Majolica Cache Pot with Poppies Decor

19th Century French Majolica Cache Pot with Poppies Decor

Located in LA CIOTAT, FR

A very colourful 19th century Majolica cache pot, vividly decorated with an entrancing motif of flowering poppies and foliage, and set against a yellow background imprinted with an i...

Category

19th Century French Antique Majolica Furniture

Materials

Majolica

Majolica Strawberries Plate Sarreguemines, circa 1870
Majolica Strawberries Plate Sarreguemines, circa 1870

Majolica Strawberries Plate Sarreguemines, circa 1870

By Sarreguemines

Located in Austin, TX

Majolica strawberries plate signed Sarreguemines Majolica, circa 1870. Geometric pattern on the border.

Category

1870s French Victorian Antique Majolica Furniture

Materials

Ceramic, Majolica

Flower Vase, Early Art Deco, Blue Yellow Run Glaze, Ceramic, ~ 1915, France
Flower Vase, Early Art Deco, Blue Yellow Run Glaze, Ceramic, ~ 1915, France

Flower Vase, Early Art Deco, Blue Yellow Run Glaze, Ceramic, ~ 1915, France

Located in Wien, AT

Very decorative vase from the early art deco period, made in France. This object has a shape that looks like the ancient Greek amphorae, but has a four-pass stand to ensure stabili...

Category

1910s French Art Deco Vintage Majolica Furniture

Materials

Ceramic, Majolica

Majolica Palissy Fish Jardinière School of Paris, circa 1880
Majolica Palissy Fish Jardinière School of Paris, circa 1880

Majolica Palissy Fish Jardinière School of Paris, circa 1880

By Thomas Sergent

Located in Austin, TX

Small 19th Century Palissy footed wood box jardinière School of Paris. The School of Paris was composed by makers as Victor Barbizet, Francois Maurice, Thomas Sergent, Georges pull, ...

Category

1880s French Country Antique Majolica Furniture

Materials

Majolica

19th Century Majolica Leaf Comport Joseph Holcroft
19th Century Majolica Leaf Comport Joseph Holcroft

19th Century Majolica Leaf Comport Joseph Holcroft

By Joseph Holdcroft

Located in Austin, TX

Large colorful Victorian Majolica leaf comport Joseph Holdcroft. On a turquoise background, a large leaf with a branch who gave an unusual shape to this plates, surrounded by a yello...

Category

1880s French Victorian Antique Majolica Furniture

Materials

Majolica

Sculpture Giant Amphora Vase Majolica Hand Painted Four Seasons Art Nouveau
Sculpture Giant Amphora Vase Majolica Hand Painted Four Seasons Art Nouveau

Sculpture Giant Amphora Vase Majolica Hand Painted Four Seasons Art Nouveau

Located in Recanati, IT

Majestic amphora in glazed majolica, handmade and hand painted in central Italy. On the amphora are represented, in great detail, the four seasons personified by graceful women surro...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Art Nouveau Majolica Furniture

Materials

Ceramic, Majolica

French 19th Century Sarreguemines Majolica Asparagus Plates with Pink Flowers
French 19th Century Sarreguemines Majolica Asparagus Plates with Pink Flowers

French 19th Century Sarreguemines Majolica Asparagus Plates with Pink Flowers

Located in Atlanta, GA

Ten French Sarreguemines Majolica asparagus plates from the 19th century with floral décor, priced and sold individually. Born in France during the 19th century, each of these delica...

Category

19th Century French Antique Majolica Furniture

Materials

Majolica

Fanciullacci Majolica Ceramic Dresser Box with Lid Horse Relief Italy 1950s-1960
Fanciullacci Majolica Ceramic Dresser Box with Lid Horse Relief Italy 1950s-1960

Fanciullacci Majolica Ceramic Dresser Box with Lid Horse Relief Italy 1950s-1960

By Fratelli Fanciullacci

Located in Clifton Springs, NY

Charming vintage pottery dresser box features a minimal rectangular form with matching lid and Mid Century Modern relief and sgraffito decor. A prancing horse motif is done in brigh...

Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Majolica Furniture

Materials

Ceramic, Majolica, Pottery, Terracotta

Set of Aubergine Eggplant Majolica Ceramic Tureen Centerpiece, 6 Bowls & Shakers
Set of Aubergine Eggplant Majolica Ceramic Tureen Centerpiece, 6 Bowls & Shakers

Set of Aubergine Eggplant Majolica Ceramic Tureen Centerpiece, 6 Bowls & Shakers

Located in Barcelona, ES

Stunning Tableware serving set eggplant design. Italy, 1960s. One of a kind majolica ceramic tableware set of pieces. The set is comprised by: 1 large eggplant tureen...

Category

20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Majolica Furniture

Materials

Majolica, Pottery, Ceramic

Italy Mid-18th Century White Majolica Duck by Manifattura Pasquale Antonibon
Italy Mid-18th Century White Majolica Duck by Manifattura Pasquale Antonibon

Italy Mid-18th Century White Majolica Duck by Manifattura Pasquale Antonibon

Located in Brescia, IT

Magnificient and surprising soup tureen in white majolica with polychrome shaped as a duck and produced around 1740 - 1770 by the ancient Pasquale Antonibon Manufacture based in Nov...

Category

Mid-18th Century Italian Rococo Antique Majolica Furniture

Materials

Majolica

19th Century Majolica Asparagus and Artichoke Tureen Saint Amand
19th Century Majolica Asparagus and Artichoke Tureen Saint Amand

19th Century Majolica Asparagus and Artichoke Tureen Saint Amand

By Saint Amand

Located in Austin, TX

This French Majolica footed tureen is a bunch of asparagus surrounded by large artichoke leaves with his original under platter is one of the rare example of asparagus tureens made a...

Category

1880s French Country Antique Majolica Furniture

Materials

Majolica, Ceramic

19th Century French Majolica Barbotine Cache Pot with Maskaron Handles
19th Century French Majolica Barbotine Cache Pot with Maskaron Handles

19th Century French Majolica Barbotine Cache Pot with Maskaron Handles

Located in Dallas, TX

Add a vibrant decorative touch to your interior with this antique majolica cache pot. Crafted in France, circa 1880, the oval jardinière is richly modeled in high relief with a natur...

Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Majolica Furniture

Materials

Ceramic, Majolica

French Majolica Lobster Platter Choisy Le Roi Circa 1930
French Majolica Lobster Platter Choisy Le Roi Circa 1930

French Majolica Lobster Platter Choisy Le Roi Circa 1930

By Choisy-le-Roi

Located in Austin, TX

French Majolica Lobster ,Shrimp and frog Platter HB Choisy Le Roi Circa 1930. The manufacture of Choisy le Roi was one of the most important manufacture a...

Category

1930s French Country Vintage Majolica Furniture

Materials

Ceramic, Majolica

19th Century Majolica Basket Choisy Le Roi
19th Century Majolica Basket Choisy Le Roi

19th Century Majolica Basket Choisy Le Roi

By Choisy-le-Roi

Located in Austin, TX

19th Century French Majolica basket signed Choisy le Roi. H / 9 inches , 10" on 6.5 inches.

Category

1880s French Victorian Antique Majolica Furniture

Materials

Ceramic, Faience, Majolica

Majolica Glazed Ceramic Oranges Pitcher / Jug, Spain, 1960s
Majolica Glazed Ceramic Oranges Pitcher / Jug, Spain, 1960s

Majolica Glazed Ceramic Oranges Pitcher / Jug, Spain, 1960s

Located in Barcelona, ES

Eye-catching realistic Majolica oranges jug / pitcher in orange and green glazed ceramic, Spain, 1950s-1960s. Hand-painted Manises ceramic decorative jug in the shape of a bunch of ...

Category

Mid-20th Century Spanish Mid-Century Modern Majolica Furniture

Materials

Ceramic, Majolica

Majolica Fish Sealife Platter Vallauris, circa 1950
Majolica Fish Sealife Platter Vallauris, circa 1950

Majolica Fish Sealife Platter Vallauris, circa 1950

By Vallauris

Located in Austin, TX

Majolica sealife platter Vallauris, circa 1950. High relief of fish, seaweeds, lemon, starfish. Nautical style. Measure: 11" diameter.  

Category

1950s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Majolica Furniture

Materials

Ceramic, Faience, Majolica

French Majolica Oyster Plate Salins, circa 1890
French Majolica Oyster Plate Salins, circa 1890

French Majolica Oyster Plate Salins, circa 1890

By Salins

Located in Austin, TX

French Majolica oyster plate with seaweeds Salins (East of France) circa 1890.  

Category

1890s French Victorian Antique Majolica Furniture

Materials

Ceramic, Faience, Majolica

Vallauris Multicolor Ceramic Fat Lava Round Bowl or Ashtray
Vallauris Multicolor Ceramic Fat Lava Round Bowl or Ashtray

Vallauris Multicolor Ceramic Fat Lava Round Bowl or Ashtray

By Vallauris

Located in Barcelona, ES

Large Mid-Century Vallauris ashtray / bowl in multicolor glazed ceramic. Beautiful fat lava glazed ceramic ashtray in brown, pink purple and red colors. Manufactured by Vallauris. France, 1950s. This cool ashtray was handcrafted in France at the Mid-20th century period. Hand-crafted piece in shades of orange red, pink purple, ochre and green ceramic on a brown background with fat lava effect. It has four cigarrette or cigars holders. Highly decorative piece! This colorful piece will be the perfect gift for smokers. Also useful as jewelry bowl , decorative bowl or vide-poche. Overall Measures: 19 cm diameter x 9 cm height (7,48 in diameter x 3,54 in height). Vallauris Ceramic Round Bowl // Glazed Ceramic Fat Lava Bowl...

Category

20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Majolica Furniture

Materials

Ceramic, Majolica

Pair of Majolica Palissy Vases with Butterflies Thomas Sergent, circa 1880
Pair of Majolica Palissy Vases with Butterflies Thomas Sergent, circa 1880

Pair of Majolica Palissy Vases with Butterflies Thomas Sergent, circa 1880

By Thomas Sergent

Located in Austin, TX

Pair of 19th century Palissy chalices vases with butterflies signed Thomas Sergent, the feets are stylized seaweeds in a Renaissance style. School of Paris. The School of Paris was composed by makers as Victor Barbizet, Francois Maurice, Thomas Sergent, Georges Pull...

Category

1880s French Renaissance Revival Antique Majolica Furniture

Materials

Ceramic, Majolica

19th Century Majolica Bamboo Umbrella Stand Onnaing
19th Century Majolica Bamboo Umbrella Stand Onnaing

19th Century Majolica Bamboo Umbrella Stand Onnaing

By Onnaing

Located in Austin, TX

French Majolica Bamboo umbrella stand signed Onnaing with a banana tree, circa 1890. Reference / Page 21"Faience d'Onnaing" of C. Campion. From the collection...

Category

1890s French Victorian Antique Majolica Furniture

Materials

Majolica, Ceramic, Faience

19th Century Majolica Chesnut Jardinière Onnaing
19th Century Majolica Chesnut Jardinière Onnaing

19th Century Majolica Chesnut Jardinière Onnaing

By Onnaing

Located in Austin, TX

19th century Majolica chesnut handled jardinière signed Onnaing. This jardinière is inspired by the Art Nouveau and the Naturalism movement of the end of 19th century.

Category

1880s French Art Nouveau Antique Majolica Furniture

Materials

Majolica, Ceramic, Faience

19th Century Majolica Vase Choisy Le Roi
19th Century Majolica Vase Choisy Le Roi

19th Century Majolica Vase Choisy Le Roi

By Choisy-le-Roi

Located in Austin, TX

French Majolica vase signed Choisy le Roi, circa 1890. Height / 11 inches. Fleur de lis and pink flowers. At the end of 19th century, Choisy le roi was one of the most important cer...

Category

1890s French Country Antique Majolica Furniture

Materials

Faience, Majolica

19th Century Majolica Pink and Blue Oyster Plate Gien
19th Century Majolica Pink and Blue Oyster Plate Gien

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

Ceramic, Majolica

Large Sculpture by Bill Stewart, American Art Studio Pottery 1970s
Large Sculpture by Bill Stewart, American Art Studio Pottery 1970s

Large Sculpture by Bill Stewart, American Art Studio Pottery 1970s

By Bill Stewart

Located in Clifton Springs, NY

Vintage ceramic sculpture features hand-sculpted totem pole style form, done in two separate segments that can be either combined and displayed at full height for a striking, monume...

Category

20th Century American Folk Art Majolica Furniture

Materials

Ceramic, Majolica, Pottery, Terracotta

Majolica Duck Tureen Sarreguemines, circa 1880
Majolica Duck Tureen Sarreguemines, circa 1880

Majolica Duck Tureen Sarreguemines, circa 1880

By Sarreguemines

Located in Austin, TX

Large fine Majolica duck tureen signed Sarreguemines, circa 1880. The base imitate the water of the pond.

Category

1880s French Rustic Antique Majolica Furniture

Materials

Ceramic, Faience, Majolica

Talavera Decorative Lavabo Sink Folk Art Mexican Ceramic Spanish Colonial
Talavera Decorative Lavabo Sink Folk Art Mexican Ceramic Spanish Colonial

Talavera Decorative Lavabo Sink Folk Art Mexican Ceramic Spanish Colonial

By Cesar

Located in Queretaro, Queretaro

Elegant surrealist sink lavabo made with the Talavera technique. Artist, Cesar Torres portraits the colonial art of Mexico. The Spanish colonial style sink is a perfect piece to bring personality and light to bathrooms and restrooms. Its warm colors bring light to the piece, creating a cozy effect in the atmosphere where it is placed. 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

Set of 11 French Majolica Asparagus Plates by Sarreguemines, 19th Century
Set of 11 French Majolica Asparagus Plates by Sarreguemines, 19th Century

Set of 11 French Majolica Asparagus Plates by Sarreguemines, 19th Century

By Sarreguemines

Located in LA CIOTAT, FR

A striking set of 11 antique French majolica asparagus plates, crafted by the renowned Sarreguemines pottery in the late 19th century. Each plate is molded in a stylized scallop shel...

Category

19th Century French French Provincial Antique Majolica Furniture

Materials

Faience, Majolica, Paint

Ceramic Owl Pitcher, Brown Glazed Majolica, France c.1960
Ceramic Owl Pitcher, Brown Glazed Majolica, France c.1960

Ceramic Owl Pitcher, Brown Glazed Majolica, France c.1960

Located in LA CIOTAT, FR

This charming vintage French ceramic pitcher takes the form of a stylized owl, beautifully rendered in the tradition of mid-20th century barbotine ware. Likely dating from the 1960s–...

Category

20th Century French Majolica Furniture

Materials

Ceramic, Faience, Paint, Majolica

19th Century Majolica Palissy Porcelain Flounder Fish Wall Platter
19th Century Majolica Palissy Porcelain Flounder Fish Wall Platter

19th Century Majolica Palissy Porcelain Flounder Fish Wall Platter

Located in Austin, TX

Rare 19th Century Majolica Porcelain Palissy Flounder Fish Wall Platter. 8.2 inches diameter.

Category

1880s French Victorian Antique Majolica Furniture

Materials

Ceramic, Majolica, Porcelain

17th Century Dutch Delft Tile with Decoration of a VOC ship in the Storm
17th Century Dutch Delft Tile with Decoration of a VOC ship in the Storm

17th Century Dutch Delft Tile with Decoration of a VOC ship in the Storm

Located in AMSTERDAM, NH

The Netherlands Circa 1630 – 1660 A finely painted blue and white Dutch Delft tile with the decoration of a Dutch East India Trading Company (VOC) ship. This ship is sailing in very...

Category

Mid-17th Century Dutch Baroque Antique Majolica Furniture

Materials

Ceramic, Faience, Majolica

19th Century French Majolica Water Lily Wall Pocket
19th Century French Majolica Water Lily Wall Pocket

19th Century French Majolica Water Lily Wall Pocket

Located in Austin, TX

19th Century French Majolica Water Lily Wall Pocket.

Category

1890s French Art Nouveau Antique Majolica Furniture

Materials

Ceramic, Majolica

Pair Antique French Majolica Figural Bird Umbrella Stands, Circa 1890.
Pair Antique French Majolica Figural Bird Umbrella Stands, Circa 1890.

Pair Antique French Majolica Figural Bird Umbrella Stands, Circa 1890.

By Clement Massier

Located in New Orleans, LA

Pair Antique French Majolica Figural Bird Umbrella Stands, Circa 1890. Egret and Pelican in the Marshes Attributed to Clément Massier, renowned ceramist who came from a long family h...

Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Majolica Furniture

Materials

Majolica

Wall Art Composition of Mid-Century Modern Ceramic Fish Shaped Plates
Wall Art Composition of Mid-Century Modern Ceramic Fish Shaped Plates

Wall Art Composition of Mid-Century Modern Ceramic Fish Shaped Plates

Set of midcentury multi color ceramic fish Plates and Platters as Wall Decoration A cool collection of eleven european glazed ceramic, porcela...

Category

20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Majolica Furniture

Materials

Ceramic, Majolica, Porcelain, Terracotta

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.