that ceramic designers such as us mull over when thinking about how to execute a new project. There are a variety of clay material types that lend themselves best to different treatments. For instance, if you want to make something that looks sculptural and detailed, it is probably best to use faience or soft paste porcelain that can be shaped and fired at a lower temperature than other ceramics. These shapely items can be hand painted with a brush in a variety of colors or sprayed with an all-over coat of glaze.
Europeans made soft paste porcelain before they discovered that the use of kaolin
(disintegrated granite) would allow them to raise the temperature and melt the clay into a more durable solid. Painted soft paste ceramic is called Majolica and was first introduced into production in Italy and Spain in the mid 1400’s and later new developments and a resurgence of production in England in the late- 1800’s with Minton.
Recipe for Majolica: A clay model is formed, dipped (or coated) in tin glaze, then set aside to dry, brush-painted on the unfired glaze, then fired. This is tin glaze Majolica. The process requires four separate stages and high skill in painting, but just one firing, in contrast to porcelain which has two, three or more firings.
Here is an article about majolica from In Good Taste, a blog of Invaluable Art Auction Website that I found very interesting:
https://www.invaluable.com/blog/majolica/
Great reproductions of the English style Majolica
Mottahedeh took on the task of making some great reproductions of the English style Majolica, beginning in the 1990’s though produced today in Italy. Rather than the style being depictions on a plate surface, it is exuberantly brushed glaze on sculptural shapes.
Our assortment is more limited now as styles pass in and out of fashion over time. If you find some Mottahedeh majolica at an estate sale, a yard sale, or your aunt’s forgotten items in her attic, take advantage of the opportunity to take it home. It will be a collector’s item one day, we tell ourselves, “Shapely and Colorful is Us”.
It is important not to use the old majolica to serve food on, as the tin glaze does not meet today’s standard of minimal or non-existent lead release, and you can be sure that you may use Mottahedeh’s majolica for food because it is made with new technology and processes. The World is full of wonderful finds. We hope you find some great Majolica.
Fan Bowl (not in assortment)
Sardine Box (not in assortment)
Strawberry Strainer with Stand
