Vic 225 Section 3

Maiolica Production
Final Asst.
Choose 1 object in the gallery
- Engage with an actual object
- Object as evidence and what they mean
- Why was Maiolica a luxury object?
The three books of Potters art
- Sole and single source how the Italian renaissance mad Maiolica
- Fear of industrial espionage many tricks kept secret
- Same process used except now there
The Author trained as a military surveyor
Deruta
Maiolica
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The town of the old tradition of ceramics

Town is surrounded by Ceramics
1 industry town
Ceramic shops on both sides of highway
is Earthenware
Clay from riverbeds is filtered by water

Tools
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Potters wheel
Pigments all pr-prepared
Pigments are metallic based
o 15th century brown & green colours
o experimentation with other metals created new colours
o once colour is added you cannot change
o no idea what colour would look like
o all look like a dull beige brown

Process
- Turning wheel
- Slip casting
o Is the molding of earth based pottery
o Addition of handles
o Slip ads water
o Casting creates plastic mold
o Pouring clay into mold

Bianco
How to
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o Drys under pressure or in closed plaster mold

Made of plaster because it absorbs moisture for quick dry and form
quickly
Open or closed which have two parts
Handels made separately then joined through slip
Can not be altered for 6-8 hours
Clay needs to be moist
Another slip
Joins all the pieces (handle) more tightly together
fire it
After decoration it is absorbed into the object
Colour becomes a part of it
Firing process
Glaze
o Tin, led, wine
o Critical
o Sets colour
o Colour never fades
o Fixed forever
o Only art from renaissance where this is true

Problem with using a kiln

- How do you know the specific temperature of the oven?
- Thermometers had not been invented
How would they monitor the temperature?
- Colour of flame gave you indication of heat degree
- Flame colour changes with type of wood
o Hard wood almost white flame
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Skill and experience is important

16th century shinier that 15th century
Second firing
o Can not be too hot
o Valuable abject already produce
o Could crack

Third firing
- Production of luster ware

Standard in Islamic porcelains

Entered Europe through islands
9000 degrees
oxygen must be exhausted
make sure kiln is full of smoke
o have an insert (a vault which holes are placed)
o smoke re-enters the kiln
fusion takes place
polishing in order for it to luster

The kind of wood used is important

- Spanish broom for luster
o Lots of smoke
- Hardwood burns longer
- Kindling to increase temp
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Maiolica comes from the island of maiorca

o Indicates the debt Europeans had to the Muslims

Painters
- Specialized in certain paintings
- Grotesque
- angels
- coats of arms
- Practiced their specialty on one object
Painters were obsessed with getting new paintings
Drawings from Rafael etc taken into studio
Piato de pompa
Plates with narrative story
- Take what is important to community at the time
- Combined wi
- Stories painted onto Maiolica (mythology, Christian story)
- Not used always displayed
- Something to talk about

High end painters

- Were artists
- Medium was unforgiving
- Cant fix mistakes

No idea what colour looks like

Putting a 3d scene on a concave space
A remarkable art, they were masters of it

You have a cartoon

Drawing is pricked
Graphite blown through holes
Outline created

Decorative element
- Can decorate entire plate
- Can decorate out
- Arabescke
o Continuous lines
o Arabic tradition cannot paint living things
- Trofei
o Coat of arms
- Quartiere
o Plate divided into quarters
o Separation allows change of colours
- Biancho Sobra
o Two colours of white used together
o Hardest to produce
o Human figure in centre
Betroval
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plates
Images of Bella
Not a portrait
Given at marriage

Today
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We have electronic drivers

Less specialized painters