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Majolica Decorative Objects

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Material: Majolica
Extremely Rare Rotterdammer Tile with Two Men in a Boat, Early 17th Century
Located in AMSTERDAM, NH
An extremely rare, so-called, Rotterdammer tile, with the decoration of a sailboat. Country: The Netherlands Place: Rotterdam Date: circa 1615 - 1620 Workshop: Claes Wijtmans This tile comes from one of the most rare and sought after tile series...
Category

Early 17th Century Dutch Renaissance Antique Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic, Majolica

Light Blue and Gray Ceramic Majolica Amphora Hand Painted Francois Boucher Italy
Located in Recanati, IT
Large ceramic amphora with handles, made and painted entirely by hand, central Italy production, year 2009. The decoration on the vase is a reproduction of a painting by Francois Bou...
Category

Early 2000s Italian Neoclassical Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic, Majolica

Wilhelm Süß for Karlsruher Majolika Art Nouveau Blue Flower Basket Bowl c. 1910
Located in Landau an der Isar, Bayern
Wonderful Art Nouveau large ceramic handled bowl or basket by German artist/designer Wilhelm Süß for Karlsruhe Majolika (Majolica) circa 1910. He was one of their top designers at th...
Category

Early 20th Century German Art Nouveau Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic, Majolica

Large Minton Majolica Wine Cistern, circa 1875
Located in New York, NY
Modelled by Louis-Francouis Jeannest (1813-1857). Literature: Marilyn G. Karmason with Joan B. Stacke, Majolica: A Complete History and Illustrated Survey, 1989, p. 64, illustrated...
Category

1870s Antique Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Majolica

Large Italian Majolica Tang Horse
Located in Kilmarnock, VA
An extraordinary Italian Tang-style horse, arguably the most striking example I’ve had the pleasure to own. Monumental in scale and presence, it’s finished in a richly colored majoli...
Category

1950s Italian Tang Vintage Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Earthenware, Majolica

Majolica Fox Head Wall Pocket
Located in Chelmsford, Essex
Majolica wall pocket which features a model of a fox head stirrup cup, sitting on a shaped ground, with flowers either side. Colouration: yellow, brown, green, are predominant.
Category

1880s Antique Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Majolica

Holdcroft Majolica Boy Climbing Tree Posy Vase
Located in Chelmsford, Essex
Holdcroft Majolica vase which features a boy climbing a tree. Colouration: brown, red, green, are predominant. Bears a pattern number, '338'.
Category

1880s Antique Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Majolica

Royal Worcester Majolica Putti in Gondola Dish
Located in Chelmsford, Essex
Royal Worcester Majolica figural dish which features a putto seated on a gondola boat, with an eagle figurehead. Colouration: turquoise, white, brown, are...
Category

1880s English Antique Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Majolica

Garibaldi s Portrait Majolica, Ceramic, Made in Italy
Located in Roma, IT
This Garibaldi's Portrait Majolica is an original decorative object realized in ceramic. An interesting colored ceramic tile representing the Italian 19th century general Giuseppe...
Category

19th Century Italian Antique Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Majolica

English Majolica Jardinière
Located in Winter Park, FL
A large English Majolica glazed ceramic jardinière, or planter, oblong shape depicting a sleeping maiden in a field of wheat. Vividly colored glaze in...
Category

19th Century French Antique Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Majolica

Lavenia Angelo Biancini Maiolica Vase, 1930, Italy
Located in Milano, IT
Lavenia Angelo Biancini Maiolica vase, 1930, Italy.
Category

1930s Italian Other Vintage Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Majolica

Minton Majolica Hogarth Boy Figure
Located in Chelmsford, Essex
Minton Majolica figure which features a Hogarth boy, sat on a rock, holding a shell. Coloration: turquoise, green, brown, are predominant. The piece bears maker's marks for the Minto...
Category

1870s English Victorian Antique Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Majolica

Pair of 19th Century Italian Capodimonte Majolica Ewers with Bacchic Scenes
Located in Dallas, TX
This extraordinary pair of monumental Capodimonte majolica ewers was crafted in Italy circa 1870. Standing over 3 feet tall (36.75 inches high) and measuring 12.5 inches in diameter,...
Category

Mid-19th Century Italian Neoclassical Antique Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Majolica

Early 20th Century French Hand Painted Barbotine Decorative Dish with Handles
Located in Dallas, TX
Display your fruit or other perishables in this colorful antique Majolica dish. Created in Provence, France crafted, circa 1920, the decorative p...
Category

Early 20th Century French Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic, Majolica

Authentic Talavera Decorative Vase Folk Art Vessel Mexican Ceramic Blue White
Located in Queretaro, Queretaro
Elegant white and blue vessel made with the Talavera technique. Artist, Cesar Torres portraits the colonial art of Mexico. 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 learned his art in the workshop of the Uriarte family, an excellent workshop where his grandfather worked. In his creations he uses the black and white mud that is obtained from the nearby hills of Loreto and Guadalupe, and colors of mineral origin that he creates in his workshop with recipes from his grandfather. All the pieces are modeled in a traditional way and go through a production process that usually takes from one to two months, between drying, burning, and painting. Being surrounded by a living tradition, Cesar Torres Jr., learned from his father since childhood. Architect by profession, Cesar Jr. has come to revolutionize and modernize with new designs and ideas of the current world, nevertheless always respecting the tradition of the processes and materials that make Talavera a Creole art...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Spanish Colonial Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Clay, Ceramic, Majolica

Blue Ceramic Potiche Centerpiece Vase Lid Majolica Hand Painted Deruta Italy
Located in Recanati, IT
Our elegant "Blue Parrots" potiche was handmade using the potter's wheel and then painted entirely by hand in Deruta, a town in central Italy that is among the most famous for majoli...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic, Majolica

19th Century Majolica Palissy Vases
Located in Dallas, TX
Beautiful pair of Majolica Palissy vases, richly glazed and finely detailed in the naturalistic style characteristic of the period. Each vase dis...
Category

1870s French Antique Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Majolica

Rare Minton Majolica Chinese Drummers Vase
Located in Chelmsford, Essex
Minton Majolica vase which features a large drum with Chinese drummers stood either side. The drum has dragons on both faces. Intricate cut-out rim and base. Colouration: light brown...
Category

Late 19th Century Antique Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Majolica

Pair Thomas Sergent Palissy Majolica Mythological Vases
Located in Chelmsford, Essex
Pair of Thomas Sergent Majolica vases with a mythological theme which feature a river scene around the sides, with putti, dolphins, reeds and s...
Category

1870s Antique Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Majolica

French 19th Century Majolica Asparagus Tray with Cradle and Wicker Motif
Located in Atlanta, GA
A French Majolica asparagus tray from the 19th century, with large cradle and wicker motifs. Created in France during the 19th century, this Majolica tray features large cradle with ...
Category

19th Century French Antique Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Majolica

Mid-Century French Painted Barbotine Rainbow Trout Vessel from Fives-Lille
Located in Dallas, TX
This lively barbotine rainbow trout vessel fish was sculpted in Fives-Lille, France circa 1950 and exemplifies the naturalistic style of early 20th-century majolica. Shaped as a life...
Category

Mid-20th Century French Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic, Majolica

Pair Large Rare Red and Blue Figural Swimming Maiden Majolica Two Piece Planter
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
This pair of large and rare Majolica planters is a true collector’s treasure, showcasing exquisite craftsmanship and bold artistry. Each two-piece pedestal planter is sculpted in a d...
Category

1920s Spanish Neoclassical Revival Vintage Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Majolica

Italian Modern Silver Platinum White Majolica Crown Vase with Orange Green Dots
Located in New York, NY
Contemporary handmade Italian Work of Art, a decorative vase in the shape of a crown in majolica, exclusive for Cosulich Interiors & Antiques by Ceramica Gatti, a long tradition Stud...
Category

2010s Italian Art Deco Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Platinum, Enamel

Blue and White Majolica Urn on Dragon Stand
Located in W Allenhurst, NJ
Blue and white painted Majolica urn on stand detailed with Dragon relief. Wonderful marbleized or flambe finish. Curbside to NYC/Philly $300
Category

20th Century Chinoiserie Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Majolica

Contemporary Italian Hunter Green Majolica Crown Bowl with Pure Gold Accents
Located in New York, NY
Italian contemporary post-modern Work of Art in the shape of a castle crown in majolica, exclusive design by Ceramica Gatti, an Art Studio of long tradition and Designer Ettore Sotts...
Category

2010s Italian Art Deco Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Gold, Enamel

English Majolica Basket Mottled Green Cobalt Handle Lavender Interior, ca. 1875
Located in Banner Elk, NC
English Majolica basket with mottled green basketweave, a cobalt blue handle, and lavender interior, ca. 1875, Measures: W 6 x H 4 x D 1.5 inches For 30 years we have been among th...
Category

19th Century English Victorian Antique Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Majolica

Holdcroft Majolica Square Box and Cover
Located in Chelmsford, Essex
Holdcroft Majolica square box and cover which features storks, squirrels, blossom and parrot feet. Coloration: cobalt blue, green, turquoise, are predomi...
Category

1880s English Antique Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Majolica

Contemporary Italian Hunter Green Majolica Crown Bowl with Pure Gold Accents
Located in New York, NY
Italian contemporary post-modern Work of Art in the shape of a castle crown in majolica, exclusive design by Ceramica Gatti, an Art Studio of long tradition and Designer Ettore Sotts...
Category

2010s Italian Art Deco Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Gold, Enamel

Midcentury Set Majolica Red Fish Ceramic Covered Sauce Tureen Box Salt Pepper
Located in Coimbra, PT
Gorgeous small size set hyper realistic glazed ceramic fish covered sauce tureen and salt and pepper in shades of vibrant red and grey with dark accents ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Portuguese Mid-Century Modern Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic, Earthenware, Majolica, Pottery

Tall Antique Italian Blue and Yellow Lidded Albarello Pot, 19th Century
Located in Dallas, TX
More information coming soon… A rather tall albarello, measuring 17 inches tall, this Italian pot is adorned with symmetrical imagery of foliage. Dating to the 1800s, the lidded po...
Category

19th Century Italian Antique Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic, Majolica, Paint

Brown Westhead Moore and Co. Majolica Belted Suitcase Box and Cover
Located in Chelmsford, Essex
Brown Westhead Moore Co. Majolica box and cover which features a suitcase (perhaps), with two belt straps either side of a twisted rope handle. Coloration: cobalt blue, brown, ochre,...
Category

1880s English Victorian Antique Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Majolica

French Majolica Trinket Box with Cherubs
Located in Tampa, FL
A stunning French majolica trinket box dating to the 1890s, featuring two beautifully modeled cherub heads at the top in an ornate Baroque style. Glazed in a rich turquoise hue, thi...
Category

1890s French Antique Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Majolica

Wilhelm Schiller Sons Majolica Peacock Vase
Located in Chelmsford, Essex
Schiller Majolica vase which features a peacock seated on a pedestal. Coloration: Blue, green, yellow, are predominant. The piece bears maker's marks for ...
Category

1880s German Victorian Antique Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Majolica

Blue and White Dutch Delft Tile with the Good Shepherd, Early 18th Century
Located in AMSTERDAM, NH
The Netherlands Rotterdam Circa 1720 - 1740 An unusually fine painted religious 'open air' tile with deep shades of blue and a shining glaze, decorated with the story of the lost sheep...
Category

Mid-18th Century Dutch Baroque Antique Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic, Faience, Majolica

Minton Majolica Cherub Flower Holder
Located in Chelmsford, Essex
Minton Majolica flower holder which features a cherub carrying wheatsheaf. Coloration: ochre, green, cream, are predominant. The piece bears mak...
Category

1870s English Victorian Antique Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Majolica

Jerome Massier Majolica Camel with Baskets Figure
Located in Chelmsford, Essex
Jerome Massier Majolica figural which features a camel with pannier baskets either side. Coloration: brown, green, ochre, are predominant. The piece bears maker's marks for the Jerom...
Category

Early 1900s French Victorian Antique Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Majolica

Blue Ceramic Majolica Vase Vessel Decorative Butterflies Hand Painted Italy
Located in Recanati, IT
Of extraordinary beauty and unique charm, the blue butterfly has always been considered the bearer of wishes. According to ancient beliefs it has the power to make dreams come true. ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic, Clay, Majolica

Contemporary Blue Butterflies Hand Painted Mother of Pearl Luster Ceramic Vase
Located in Recanati, IT
Our "Petalouda Iris" majolica vase showcases the timeless charm of the blue butterfly, capturing the essence of its elegance. Revered in all cultures as a symbol of fulfilled desires...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic, Clay, Majolica

Italian Majolica Figural Compote, circa 1880
Located in New York, NY
Italian Majolica Figural Compote, circa 1880
Category

1880s Italian Antique Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Majolica

Large Amphora Vase Majolica Figurative Subject Crocodile Hunt Rubens Policrome
Located in Recanati, IT
Majestic majolica Amphora vase, with a height of 183 cm (72 in) and a diameter of 52 cm (20,5 in): a unique piece, entirely handmade and hand-painted in Gubbio, Central Italy, in 1995. Its surface is decorated with a splendid and detailed reproduction of the famous "The Hippopotamus and Crocodile Hunt", painted by Peter Paul Ruben's (1615). The body of the vase shows remarkable technical capabilities, given its size and complexity. The amphora is divided into three parts: the base, the central body and the neck. The rarity of majolica artworks of this size lies in the technical difficulty of managing the entire creation process given the large size, both for the making of the terracotta artifact and the subsequent decorating phase. During the first firing of the clay biscuit the risk of breakage is very high and also during the second firing of the color majolica hides many pitfalls, this explains the rarity of artworks of this size, the difficulty of the decorations and consequently their value. Description of the reproduction painted : Peter Paul Rubens created the canvas oil painting entitled The Hippopotamus and Crocodile Hunt between 1615–16. The hunt takes place on the banks of the Nile, as indicated by a palm tree in the background. As hippopotami and crocodiles were considered dangerous nuisances, their destruction was a duty performed by noblemen. The hunting party comprises three men in orientalizing costume—mounted on Arabian horses, who hunt with lance and sword—and two valets clad in roughly-hewn jerkins—one of whom has been killed by one of the beasts. The enraged hippopotamus tramples the crocodile, as both are attacked by the hunters and hounds...
Category

1990s Italian Baroque Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic, Majolica

Monumental Italian Majolica Paint Decorated Pitcher
Located in Norwood, NJ
Very large Italian majolica ceramic pitcher by Armando Poggi, Florence, Italy. Hand paint decorated with colorful grapes on vines along with large plump lemons. A beautiful decoratio...
Category

20th Century Italian Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic, Earthenware, Majolica

Blue Ceramic Vase Butterflies 24 Kt Gold Luster Hand Painted Decorative Vessel
Located in Recanati, IT
Of extraordinary beauty and unique charm, the blue butterfly has always been considered the bearer of wishes. According to ancient beliefs it has the power to make dreams come true. ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Gold

Majolica Vase Snake Two-handled Amphora Orange Blue Hand Painted Italian Ceramic
Located in Recanati, IT
Amphora in majolica handmade in Italy and hand-painted in polychrome, decorated with a reinterpretation of the patterns used in Deruta during the Fifteenth Century, following the ori...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Renaissance Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic, Majolica

Vase Vessel Ceramic Centerpiece Ornament Aquamarine Majolica Flower Holder Italy
Located in Recanati, IT
Large majolic vase in green aquamarine color, glazed in polychrome, characterized by the elegant presence of naturalistic ornamental motifs that enhance its forms beautifully. Its po...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic, Clay, Majolica

Majolica Fish Sealife Platter Vallauris, circa 1950
Located in Austin, TX
Small Majolica sealife platter Vallauris, circa 1950. High relief of fish, seaweeds,starfish. Nautical style. Diameter / 7.5 by 6"  
Category

1950s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic, Faience, Majolica

Large Italian Majolica Two-Handled Vase, circa 1900
Located in New York, NY
The bulbous body decorated with standing and leaping deer in a landscape, the shoulder with two homes in the background, the handles in the shape of tiger heads above masked handles.
Category

Early 1900s Antique Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Majolica

Large Ewer Hand Painted Pearl White Decorative Vase Unique Piece Made in Italy
Located in Recanati, IT
Magnificent large decorative ewer, handmade and hand-painted in Italy by the artist G. Mengoni for deBlona. His creativity was inspired by Middle Eastern ceramic tradition, whose orn...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Other Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic, Clay, Luster, Majolica

Large white and light blue coiled majolica vase hand-painted Italy contemporary
Located in London, GB
Large ceramic vase by Onofrio Acone, glazed earthenware (majolica) unique piece hand-built and hand-painted approx. 48 cm width 52 cm height Onofrio Acone is a ceramic artists b...
Category

2010s Italian Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic, Clay, Majolica

Pair of 19th Century French Hand Painted Ceramic Barbotine Vases
Located in Dallas, TX
This beautiful, unique pair of antique Majolica vases was crafted in France, circa 1880. The tall and thin colorful ceramic planters feature t...
Category

Late 19th Century French Rococo Antique Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic, Majolica

Antique Majolica Sculpture
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
Antique Majolica sculpture.
Category

Early 20th Century Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Majolica

Antique Majolica Sculpture
Antique Majolica Sculpture
$495 Sale Price
28% Off
Large majolica Albarello with pharmaceutical writing, Italy circa 1730.
Located in Milan, IT
Large majolica Albarello with a flared central body with curvatures at shoulder height, wide distinct foot (8,75’’), flared and moulded. Wide mouth, strongly projecting harpy-shaped ...
Category

Mid-18th Century Italian Antique Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Majolica

Cobalt Blue Majolica Vase Vessel Ceramic Centerpiece Sculpture Handmade, Italy
Located in Recanati, IT
The “Abisso” vase, crafted and painted by hand in Italy, draws inspiration from the mysterious depths of the ocean. Its unique coloring technique ensures that no two pieces are alike...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic, Majolica

Vase Vessel Majolica Ornament Hand Painted Empire Red Limited Edition Italy
Located in Recanati, IT
This lavish majolica vase is painted in polychrome, characterized by the elegant presence of naturalistic ornamental motifs that enhance its forms beautifully. Its powerful aesthetic...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic, Majolica

Pair 19th Century French Hand Painted Barbotine Ceramic Vases with Fruit Motifs
Located in Dallas, TX
Bring colors to your mantel with this pair of antique Majolica vases with fruit motifs. Crafted in Southern France, circa 1880, this ceramic composition is a Classic example of barbo...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic, Majolica

Contemporary Italian Apple Jade Green Majolica Crown Bowl with Platinum Accents
Located in New York, NY
Contemporary handmade Italian post-modern Work of Art in the shape of a Fleur de Lys crown in majolica, exclusive design by Ceramica Gatti, a long tradition studio and famous designe...
Category

2010s Italian Art Deco Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Enamel

Vase Potiche Jar Lid Decorated Ornament Decorative Majolica Total White Vessel
Located in Recanati, IT
This splendid potiche vase is handmade and hand-painted in Italy, following the original Renaissance painting technique, unchanged over time, which we obs...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic, Majolica

Red White Byzantium Ceramic Vase Hand Painted Majolica Italy Contemporary
Located in London, GB
Bottega Vignoli, Byzantium vase, 2022, hand-painted maiolica fired in full-fire reduction firing 17cm x 37cm height. Unique piece. Bottega Vignoli, based in Faenza—the historic ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Classical Roman Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic, Majolica

White 3D Printed Ceramic Sculptural Vase Italy Contemporary, 21st Century
Located in London, GB
"Composizione 40100 #02" (In crescendo), 2019, glazed earthenware, measures: H 47 x 30 x 30cm Andrea Salvatori (Italy, 1975) is an internationally renowned visual artist working with the ceramic medium to realize often ironic and witty sculptures, sometimes involving a diverse selection of found objects, such as Murano glass vases, Meissen Porcelain miniatures or Ginori period ceramics sourced in flea markets around Europe. Salvatori’s works often begin with these items and proceed by the addition of elements masterfully created by the artist, generating an unexpected semantic shift. The result is unique, encompassing pop culture and kitsch aesthetics: a witty and effective way to turn reality upside-down and at the same time a powerful combination of exquisite craftsmanship and genuine irony. Andrea Salvatori was born on 3 of March 1975 in Faenza (Ra), Italy; he has graduated at the Istituto d’arte for Ceramic in Faenza in 1995, and he then graduated with a Degree in Sculpture at the Accademia di Belle Arti of Bologna in 2000. During his studies, Andrea learned the secrets of ceramics from the creative duo Bertozzi & Casoni having worked as an apprentice in their studio for many years at the same way as during Renaissance artists learned their practice with their Masters. Since 1997 he had several individual and collective exhibitions. In 2009 he won the first prize at the 56th edition of the prestigious Premio Faenza, the International Contest of Contemporary Art Ceramics, for which he classified second in the prior edition. In 2011 he classified second at the Sidney Myer Fund Australian Ceramic...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Majolica, Ceramic

Vase Vessel Majolica Damask Renaissance Black Yellow Hand Painted Italy Deruta
Located in Recanati, IT
Majolica vase with a black background decorated in golden yellow. the vase is formed by a very slender body and a flared neck ending with a rather everted edge: it is handmade and ha...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Renaissance Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic, Clay, Majolica

Gaudin French Majolica Horse
Located in Queens, NY
French 1940s Majolica stylized horse with extended legs & head arched towards back in pale blue with white mane & tail (att: PRIMIVERA/GAUDIN)
Category

1930s French Art Deco Vintage Majolica Decorative Objects

Materials

Majolica

Antique and Vintage Majolica Vases, Bowls, Candleholders and Other Decorative Objects

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 vases, bowls and other decorative objects 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.

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