Majolica.— Italy imported her lustre-ware from Spain and the island of Majorca, ap parently, till about the 15th century, but, by the middle of the 14th century she had started her own mezza-majolica fabriques and by the first half of the 16th century the industry was in its zenith, to become thoroughly decadent by the end of the 16th century. The recent dis covery in Faenza of the piece decorated with Astorgio Manfredi (1393-1405) coat-of-arms and the documentary statement of the contem porary writer Pietro del Bono (1330) make it appear that Italy was producing opaque under glaze majolica to the 14th century besides her silicious transparent colored glazes majolica). By the 16th century Italian majolica was being made in Pesaro, Urbino, Gubbio, Caffagiolo, Treviso, Bassano, Nove, Padua, Candiana, Verona, Milan, Venice, Lodi, Turin, Genoa, Savona, Arbisola, Ferrara, Modena Reggio, Scandiana, Sassuolo, Siena, Pisa, Asciano, Monte Lupo, San Querigo, Castel Durante, Citta di Castello, Bagnolo, Faenza, Forli, Rimini, Ravenna, Bologna, Deruta, Fabriano, Spello, Viterbo, Rome, Capo dt Monte, Naples, Grotaglia, Castelli in Abruzzo, Palermo and Catala Girone. Lustre-ware was produced only at Pesaro, Deruta, Gubbio, Urbino and Castel Durante; a few pieces made at Caffag.iolo and elsewhere were experimental. The body of old Italian majolica is a buff colored clay.
Gubbio.— This ware is famous for its lus tre pieces. Those emanating from the studio (botega) of "Maestro Giorgio" (early 16th cen tury) are all elaborately decorated and have a lustre surpassing all other wares. His metallic reflecting surfaces, Solon says, "pass from bluish-purple to ruby-red, from golden-yellow to emerald-green," his is absolute perfection. Few Gubbio pieces bear any marks, but besides the before-mentioned Giorgio Andreoli were other Andreolis — Salembini, Giovanni and Vinzentio. The Gubbio fabrique was in decadent condition by 1551. The char acteristic decoration of the ware consists of grotesques (groteschi), which the contemporary Picolpasso terms °a they contain artistically executed large scrolls (in yellow or brown) terminating in the heads of sea-horses, monsters, birds, etc., with cherub heads inter mingling; trophies with mottoes surround busts. As centre-piece appears a genre or other scene. Human figures show weak drawing.
Urbino.— Under the powerful protection of Duke Guid'Ubaldo II this town took a leading position in the second half of the 16th century with its flourishing majolica fabrique and its remarkably artistic creations. As these pieces were produced for presentation to grandees and even sovereigns perfection of detail and talented elaborate composition were under taken. So high is the artistic merit of some of the painting that it is claimed to have been from the designs of the great Raphael himself. Three artists are prominent in this work: Guido Durantino (or Guido Fontana), Francesco Xanto de. Rovigo (both of these signed in full), the latter copied, with modifications, engravings after Raphael; and Orazio Fontana (son of Guido), whose drawings are characterized by a light outline in the blue color that was utilized in the flesh tints. The Fontanas did also peculiar grotesque decorations on a white back ground with very graceful effect, some having medallions of figures as centre-pieces. The
Patanazzi family (end of the 16th century) were the last of the majolica painters of Urbino. Amongst Urbino motifs were figures, chimera, etc., also we find ornament in relief on salt boxes, inkstands, vases, coffrets, etc., of very decorative form. But the most remarkable pro duction of Urbino was a series of vases de signed by Battista Franco, 344 lovely specimens of which are in the Santa Casa de Lorette. The general belief in the claim of Vasari that the originator of the opaque tin-glaze in Italy was Luca della Robbia (1399-1482) has been shaken since the discovery of the Manfredi jug (men tioned above), and it is now supposed that Italian tin-glazed majolica was being produced by the 14th century at least.
Mexican Majolica.— Until about 10 years ago the fine specimens of old opaque tin-glazed majolica found in Mexico and sought for by collectors were supposed to be Spanish crea tions and imported by the colonists. Mrs. Robert W. deForest, with her fine collection of this ware (now donated to the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art), was led to take a generous interest in investigating the source of the product. And the late Dr. Atlee Barber of the Pennsylvania Museum, Philadelphia, by his researches disclosed the following facts: About 1526 the Spanish majolica technique was being taught to the colonists by Dominican friars from the Talavera potteries. In 1531 Pueblo de los Angeles started a pottery with Spanish artisans and became the centre of a large industry. Mexican-made enamel-glazed tiles were used, instead of the imported articles, to decorate the insides of the walls and also the exteriors of churches, hospitals, convents and even private houses. By 1653, as is shown by documents, the Mexican-made glazed pot tery was equal to the imported and shipments from Spain were no longer in demand, and a potters' guild was established, to protect the in dustry in that year. By 1750 there were 30 prosperous potteries making three qualities of wares that they termed "fine, common and yellow.° Five colors were used in fine ware, three in common ware. The best period was from 1650 to 1750. Specimens show two kinds of body— the white, soft, porous and the harder-baked red. The process used was that of baking the clay body first, then dipping in the tin enamel engobe and decorating over the enamel. The piece was then subjected to a second firing. The ware has been classified as follows: (1) "Hispano-Moresque" phase, up to the end of the 17th century. (2) "Spanish° or uTalavere phase, from beginning of the 17th century to about end of the 18th century (showing Talavera influence). (3) "Chinese taste," done by copying pieces of imported Chinese porcelain, started 17th century and con tinued to end of 18th century. (4) "Hispano Mexican° or "Puebla" phase, started about 1800 and lasted beyond 1850. Decadence fol lowed, then extinction. The fourth style has green, yellow, purple, brown, red, black and later rose and mauve, in the decoration. Tiles have only three colors, blue, green and yellow, generally. The product consisted of chocolate or vanilla jars, vases, albarelli (drug pots), barrel-shaped flower jars, circular dishes, bowls, saltcellars, inkstands, basins, cup-holders, tiles, etc.