The Art of Majolica: Bert Beirne

I was scrolling through the internet as most of us do and I stumbled across this still life painting incorporating an Arsenal majolica pitcher into its vignette.

Apples Majolica and Madeira

Titled Apples, Majolica and Madeira, it made me wonder if the artist had done any other pictures using majolica. Sure enough I came across another painting of hers with the same pitcher.caller Majolica Asparagus and Onions

Majolica, Asparagus and Onions

Catalog page from the Arsenal Pottery showing the pitcher at the top

Bert Beirne is a contemporary American artist who specializes in these kinds of traditional still life oil paintings. She frequently incorporates antique pieces into her paintings. 

From her gallery biography she describes her work thus:

“I combine my love of painting and traditional techniques into distinctive still life oil paintings. I choose my subjects from a variety of materials and textures including Madiera cloths, Persian rugs, metal, glass, porcelain, books and fruit. Working in my north light studio, I plan, select and set up objects to produce contrasts of color, texture and value and to show the interplay of light on those objects. I am especially interested in creating the movement of light across the painting. I begin the painting with multiple layers of oil on Belgium linen or gessoed panels; these layers result in a luminous effect of mystery, shadow and depth.”

Born in 1939 she is still active and works out of the Greater Atlanta area. She occasionally does animal portraits as well. If you would like to know more about her here is a link to her web site.

French and Belgian Figural Character Toby Jugs

One of the distinctly French and Belgian majolica collecting categories is the figural character jug. I have written in the past about their animal pitchers but never specifically about the human character pitchers made by French speaking companies during the last quarter of the 19th and 20th century. The characters represented are well-known people to the areas of the pottery that made them, general known stereotypes, historic characters, humorous figures and particularly well known political personalities. These would be tbe equivalent to the American and English toby jugs named after the legendary drinker Toby Phillpot.

These do not include the head/face pitchers, or grotesques, as they are sometimes called. I have shown these in my post on Sarreguemines as well as here. I also do not include decanters which I have written about here. The pitchers featured here include the full body or at least part of the body or bust of the person depicted and not just the head alone.

Many companies made these pitchers, like St. Amand-les-Éaux, Onnaing, Orchies, Nimy-les-Mons and others. While not as popular outside of Europe as the animal pitchers made by the same companies, they make for an intriguing display as a collectible.

Let's. begin with the pitchers of Orchies.

Orchies majolica Pichet Chinois

Orchies majolica Pichet Nouveau Né signed Foubert . European

folklore claims that baby boys come from cabbages while girls

come from flowers.

Orchies majolica Pichet Le Député Socialiste*

Orchies majolica Pichet Zouave signed Foubert

Orchies majolica Pichet L'Ecolier

Orchies majolica Pichet La Femme Cocher

Orchies majolica  Pompier sauveteur

Orchies majolica Pichet Femme a la Hotte

Orchies majolica Pichet Sapeur Pompier

Orchies majolica Pichet Sapeur Pompier

Orchies majolica pitcher Edmond Rostand

Onnaing also made these  types. of pitchers.

Onnaing majolica L'alliance Franco-Russe pitcher

Onnaing majolica Pichet Alsacienne

Onnaing majolica Marianne jug

Onnaing character jug Moine

Onning Mineur de Charbon

Onnaing majolica P. Renoulède jug

Onnaing La Jupe Culotte jug

Onnaing majolica Pichet La Madelon

Onnaing majolica Jeanne D'Arc jug*

Onnaing majolica Chemin De Fer figural pitcher

Onnaing majolica Réserviste jug

Onnaing majolica Pichet Député Bourse 15000

Onnaing majolica Pichet Député Bourse 60000*

Onnaing majolica Francisco Ferrer figural Pitcher

Onnaing majolica pitcher Raymond Poincare

Onnaing majolica Tyrollean figuralg

Wasmuël, Fives-Lille, Serreguamines and numerous other potteries made them as well.

Wasemûl majolica Pantalone pitcher

Wasmûel majolica Chinois pitcher

Renoleau d'Angoulême majolica Pichet Cognac Bisquit*

Renoleau d'Angoulême majolica *

Renoleau d'Angoulême majolica*

 Bonnétable majolica pitcher*

Nimy majolica pitcher*

Nimy majolica pitcher*

Nimy majolica pitcher

Fives-Lille majolica Pichet Le Garde Champêtre

Fives-Lille majolica Mère Michele

Fives-Lille majolica Pichet Automobiliste

Fives-Lille Pichet La Femme du Chauffeur

Fives-Lille majolica Picket Je Sais Tout

Desvres majolica Pichet Polin

Desvres majolica Pichet Napoléon

Desvres Pichet Bacchus

Malicorne majolica Pichet Comique Troupier

Malicorne majolica Pichet Bourgeoise

Malicorne majolica Pichet Homme*

Majolica Saint-Amand Pichet  Drammen

Saint Amand majolica Pichet Fallières

Majolica Saint-Amand Emile Basly

Saint Germain majolica pitcher

Saint Germain majolica pitcher

Fives-Lille majolica gendarme and criminal 

Malicorne majolica Pichet Gendarme

Malicorne majolica Pichet Bourgeois

Malicorne majolica Pichet Jacquot

Majolica Niderviller Pichet Boucher

Poët-Laval majolica Pichet Guignol*

Poët-Laval majolica Pichet Guignol*

St. Clément majolica Pichet Moine*

Sarreguemines majolica Pichet Triton*

Sarreguemines majolica Pichet Judy

Sarreguemines majolica Pichet Punch

Sarreguemines majolica Pichet John Bull

Thulin majolica Pichet Fallières

Thulin majolica Pichet Ruchot dans son Tonneau

Vierzon majolica Pichet Mandarin*

Vierzon majolica Pichet Félix Mayol*

Longchamp majolica Pichet Roi Henri IV

Longvhsmp majolica Pichet Jeanne D’Arc

Longchamp majolica Pichet Jeanne Hachette

Longchamp majolica Pichet Arlésienne

Longchamp majolica Pichet Napoléon 1

There are many others that I have not included here but this should give some idea of how popular they were.

Until 2025 there was a museum in Evanston, IL dedicated to all types of Toby jugs including some of these European character pitchers. 

Toby museum

The founder, Stephan Mullins, accumulated the collection over 40 years encompassing 12,000 pitchers of all kinds, but leaning towards English and American jugs. He operated the museum until his death in 2020. His heirs followed his wishes and kept it open for another five years, closing it in March 2025 after which the collection was dispersed. 

Mullins, along with museum manager David Fastenau and Bertrand Cocq, who is a specialist in European, French and Belgian majolica, published a book on the subject A World of Majolica Character Pitchers, both animal and human. I highly recommend  It is currently out of print but available through second hand book dealers.

*Photo:©Jean-Luc Joret