Origins and Influences

Ceramic Origins

Tin glazed items were not invented by the Italians, in fact the beauty of eastern ceramics had been well known to the Renaissance Italians for a long time. The first examples of this technique were found in Bagdad and dated to the 9^th Century - there symmetrical patterns were painted in blue and white.

However by the by the end of the 11^th century Islamic pottery, including lusterware, had been in widespread use for the embellishment of religious and civic buildings. Thought to have been introduced by the crusaders at the as trophies demonstrating victories over the pagans by powerful Christian forces.

During the 13^th through to the early 15^th century Tuscany had good trade relations with Moorish Spain and imported large quantities of lusterware from Spain. This is when the Italians began to work with tin glazed ware. It is interesting to note that the only difference between the Italian and Spanish products of this period is the absence of lustre on the Italian wares. Italian Maiolica eventually dominated the pottery of Europe and set a trend that lasted more than three hundred years.

Societal Influences -

The connection between Italian pottery and the other arts reached a new height during the Renaissance, as humanism pervaded all aspects of the Italian culture. New interest in individualism, literature, history, decorative arts, architecture and design became the concerns of artists who sought to express the new philosophy.

Ceramic artists looked to painters for inspiration - toward the end of the 15^th century popular artists works were incorporate into pottery - Raphael.

With the invention of the printing press(1450), artists were accessing iconographic sources and engravings and were used as popular sources for designs.

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Why is Maiolica Important in Ceramic History?

The rise of Maiolica in Italy during the Renaissance signalled a change in perception of ceramic wares. Ceramics went from being merely utilitarian to gaining the status of an art. In fact Maiolica can be considered a branch of Renaissance painting as well as a chapter of ceramic history.

The notion that ceramics could be decorative and beautiful had great effect on the Italians who had previously had uninteresting sombre toned and crude ceramics. Nobility began to collect the new colourful and precious ware for gifts and for palace use. This new found status resulted in the following interesting developments:

The Decorator as ‘Artist’: Pieces are said to be ‘by’ Nicola da Urbino or another; the item was viewed as a work of art attributed to a painter. It was common for the thrown pot to have been produced by another artisan - the potter was not recognised for the work as the decoration, and not the form, was the focus of the item.

The Emergence of the Potter’s Mark: Often found at the base of the handle of a jug or on the bottom of a plate or vase was an innovation of 15^th century potters, previously not seen on ceramic works.

The Duel Role of Ceramics as Art Objects and Utilitarian Objects: Large dishes usually have holes in the foot ring enabling them to be hung on a wall. This suggests that items were displayed in homes, this was not previously done.

Technical Difficulties and Costs: Maiolica ware with lustres were very expensive. It was not unusual to fire 100 pieces and have only six which were considered of high enough standard. This contributed to the status of exceptional works in Maiolica.

Note: While Maiolica was treasured as ‘art pottery’, and it must be remembered that it constitutes only a small proportion of pottery produced during the Renaissance period.

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Three Centuries of Evolution: Styles and Regional Influences

There are three categories that Italian Maiolica can be placed in which describe the evolution in styles with the use of tin glaze.

Archaic (14^th Century) - Characterised by timid decoration drawn in brown, green and yellow. Subject matter included animals and scenes from daily life.

Severe (15^th Century) - Complicated motifs, vibrant outlines and strength. Drawing from Moresque designs. Identified by highly stylised foliage patterns, scrolled leaf patterns animals, busts and scrolling ribbons. Concentric bands of ornament and ‘flat’ drawings were also common to this period.

Vases painted in various colours, including blue, green and orange. Note the Persian influence. Influence from the end of 15^th Century
 

Beautiful (late 15^th and 16^th Centuries) - From the mid 15^th century the Maiolica painters used a wider range of colours and slowly abandoned the Moorish and Gothic modes and moved toward a definite pictorial style. Themes were illustrated reflecting the new Renaissance interests of the patrons. The development of this style meant the Italian Maiolica was evolving from utilitarian products to articles of luxury and high art.

Masks, grotesques, arms trophies, dolphin headed scrolls, flowers, baskets of fruit, winged cherubs, and banners with inscriptions, legendary labours of ancient heroes, biblical references with classicised interiors, trophies and coats of arms, music, portrait medallions, human figures and winged monsters were all motifs of the period. Known also as the Istoriato (story telling) style featuring narrative scenes and figurative subjects. Vivid multicoloured, narrative decoration was the main aim of Maiolica craftsmen, forgetful of the functional aspect of their product.

Bowl painted on dark-blue background. The complicated decoration of heraldic arms, symbols, and floral designs are influenced by 15th century design.

While these three distinct phases in the development of Maiolican styles can be used to identify the period in which a piece was made it is also possible to identify, roughly, where the piece was produced through the identificati<on of regional styles. In fact with the works of the ‘Beautiful’ period, the styles were influenced by regional schools of painters. The widespread distribution of engravings and prints also contributed to sources of inspiration for painters. This was the way that the works of great masters found their way onto Maiolica wares.

Examples of Regional Styles:

Tuscany - Potters were influenced by the Islamic world.

Umbria - Unsophisticated perspective and lack of modeling, together with scale patterned boarders and stylised plants are recurrent characteristics.

Veneto - Maiolica is mainly painted in blue and white on a greyish blue background.

Note: Rome played a relatively small part in Renaissance pottery.

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