A new exhibit in St. Petersburg showcases colorful, centuries-old earthenware that was created not to be displayed, but to be used.
By LENNIE BENNETT
Published October 3, 2004
[Times photos: Bob Croslin]
The Museum of Fine Arts’ Mackey Gallery has been refurbished with flat plaster walls that can be tinted with colors to complement a display. Above, Castelli, workshop of Orazio Pompeii, Tall Drug Jar With Two Babies Riding a Griffin, mid 16th century, tin-glazed earthenware.
By the 15th century, Italian artisans had perfected the process of glazing earthenware, though the palette was limited to green, orange, purple, blue, white and, very rarely, red. Above, a plate, probably to celebrate a betrothal or wedding, was called a Bella Donna; in the background, a large basin.
ST. PETERSBURG - So much can rest on a syllable.
Unlike the potato-potahto debate, the differences between maiolica (pronounced my-YAH-li-ca) and majolica (ma-JAH-li-ca) go far beyond pronunciation. A visit to "Marvels of Maiolica" at the Museum of Fine Arts will make that clear.
Both are forms of glazed earthenware, but the "yah" predates the "jah" by several hundred years. Maiolica refers to the vibrantly colored pottery of Renaissance Italy. The process of tin-glazing that produced those colors was adapted in 19th century England and renamed majolica as an homage and a clue to savvy buyers about the new earthenware's provenance. It was far more extravagantly decorated and had a wider range of colors.
We're going back to maiolica. Several dozen pieces from 15th- and 16th century Italy on loan from the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington have taken up temporary residence in the fine arts museum's refurbished Mackey Gallery. Gone is the fusty linen that paneled the walls. They're now a flat plaster that can be tinted a complementary color for rotating shows. For this exhibition, they have been painted a rich marigold, and the cases displaying the earthenware are coated with a soft grass-green. The change is remarkable; in this setting the work almost sings out.
Earthenware made from the cheap and available clay that covered much of the Italian peninsula had been made there since antiquity. Tin-glazing - coating fired vessels with a metal oxide, painting it with ground metals suspended in water that gave it color, then firing it again - was also a technique known in ancient times but was forgotten for many centuries in Europe until it was reintroduced in the 11th century by imports from Islamic ceramicists. It was immediately embraced because of its resemblance to the much more expensive porcelain that was being brought in limited quantities from China.
Maiolica was also less expensive than plate - dishes, cups, servers and decorative objects made from silver or lesser metals - that was typical of medieval times. Once earthenware was glazed, it was nonporous and could be used functionally.
By the 15th century, Italian artisans had perfected the process, cranking maiolica out in mass quantities, and it became truly affordable. The color palette was limited: copper became green; iron became orange; manganese, purple; cobalt, blue; and tin, white. Some colors could be blended and deepened, but red was exceptionally difficult to achieve; it rarely appears on maiolica and then in muted tones.
A lot of maiolica was painted only with tin, which became shiny white after firing, but ornamentation was increasingly popular. In skilled hands, the glazed pottery took on exceptionally rich tones, and artisans coaxed subtly nuanced shadings from the colors. Special designs, often with heraldry, were commissioned by families, or commemoration plates were ordered for gifts.
Most of the examples in this exhibition were made in the 16th century. By that time, maiolica had developed beyond simple ornamentation and become a canvas upon which elaborate narrative scenes could be executed for patrons willing to pay for them. Some of the most beautiful examples here are by Francesco Xanto Avelli da Rovigo of Urbino, known as Xanto. His expertise and emulation of Renaissance painters such as Raphael can be seen in presentation plates that tell stories. Historical, mythical or biblical ones were favored over current events.
One depicting the Battle of Roncevaux, based on a fictional account of the Christian campaign against the Saracens in 12th century Spain, teems with men fighting and dying in the foreground while flames shoot from a castle behind them. Another illustrating the tale of the doomed lovers Pyramus and Thisbe, on whom Shakespeare later based Romeo and Juliet, pictures them as Pyramus lies dead from a self-inflicted sword wound and Thisbe is in the act of stabbing herself. They are surrounded by everyday details: a grove of trees, homes, a nearby woman obliviously dipping a jar into a fountain.
A plate by another 16th century Urbino craftsman, Nicola da Urbino, shows a mastery of perspective. Calliope Crowning a Youth was part of an entire service made for a wealthy family, one to be used rather than displayed on a sideboard. Sets such as this generally numbered 12, and one can imagine the delight of cleaning one's plate (by using one's hands or a piece of bread, since cutlery was not a household fixture) and the dinner conversation these pieces must have generated.
The mass production of maiolica apothecary jars became a cash cow for many artisans. They were ordered by the thousands to hold medicines, potions and herbs. Those called albarelli were distinguished by the nipped center that made for easy grabbing. Others were shaped with graceful curved necks and round bowls. Some had labels; all had fanciful designs.
Design evolved over time. A basin that was once part of a set including a ewer, or pitcher, has the narrative, the tale of Europa and the bull, reduced to the center, encircled by ornamentation called grottesche inspired by Roman wall paintings. It is one of the loveliest pieces in this collection, with the bottom, which was probably rarely seen, as beautifully worked as the top.
A flask embellished with coils and handles in addition to its mythic scene of Adonis and Myrrha is one of few here with that kind of addition and resembles most closely the majolica that it would inspire much later.
Some of the most spectacular examples of the maiolica technique came from the hands of Lucca della Robbia of Florence, who elevated the craft to fine art and who is not represented in this exhibition. But like so many antiquities, many of these pieces, once parts of everyday, utilitarian households, have become important through their survival and because of what they tell us of life long ago. A time and culture such as the Renaissance that valued beauty in everyday life is a fine place to visit.
This exhibition is arranged in the center of the gallery so that viewers can get 360-degree looks at everything. Labels provide a lot of details. And a small, affordable catalog, available in the museum gift shop, contains an excellent essay by the curator, Jacqueline Marie Musacchio.
"Marvels of Maiolica" is at the Museum of Fine Arts, 255 Beach Drive NE, St. Petersburg, through Jan. 2. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $8 adults, $7 seniors, $4 students. (727) 896-2667.
