WHAT IS MAJOLICA?
Majolica (m-jol`-ka)-n.A kind of enameled Italian pottery richly decorated in colors. Majolica, spelled Maiolica in Italian, is the word generally used for the enameled pottery that has been made in Italy since Renaissance times. The term refers to carefully chosen clay wares coated with a solution of white glaze, and also denotes the process of painting on the glaze before it is fired into a hard shiny surface. The name majolica is derived from the island of Majorca, the headquarters of trading vessels sailing between Spanish and Italian ports. The tin-oxide-glazed, Majolica pottery of Italy, reached a summit of artistic quality during the late 15th and early 16th centuries. The molded or thrown clay piece is given a first, or “bisque” firing, and then covered with an opaque lead and tin-oxide glaze. (Leadless glazes are the standard for contemporary majolica potters.) Decorations are hand painted on the dry glaze, and a second firing fuses both glaze and decoration to an even, glossy
