Cleaning Majolica

Stained Wedgwood majolica Fan plate

There are two schools of thought when it comes to cleaning antique pottery like the piece above: those who prefer to leave it as found, and those who prefer to have a piece that looks almost new.

Many collectors like the look of stained majolica. For them, the staining is part of the piece's history and shouldn't be altered. 

 

Badly stained Wedgwood Argenta grape and strawberry plate

On the other hand, those who favor a piece that has been cleaned are rewarded with richer, more vibrant color and a closer approximation of the maker's actual intention in designing the piece. As a dealer, I found it was much easier to sell cleaned majolica than stained majolica so I've always been in the "clean majolica" camp.

Majolica is made from a soft, porous, earthenware body that is easily damaged and easily stained. It's very difficult to find a piece new to the market that doesn't have some degree of staining in it. Fat and sugar seem to be the biggest culprits when it comes to ware that was originally meant for use in dining.

I can't tell you how many hundreds of times I've come across sugar bowls that are virtually black in color while their lids are pristine in color. The same condition can be frequently seen in teapots. In both cases the stain has absorbed into the base container while the lid, since it has no real contact with the contents is usually free of discoloration.

Stained sugar bowl base. The "cauliflower" part of the base 

was originally the same color as the lid.

Butter pats are notorious for the bad condition in which they are often found. Creamers and platters are also frequently discolored by staining from fats. The darker the glaze color, the less of an effect the staining has on the majolica but I have found that all of them can benefit from cleaning.

Cleaning majolica is actually a very simple process that doesn't hurt the piece at all if it is done correctly. This is the process I use. Proceed at your own risk! (disclaimer over)

Before deciding if you want to clean a piece of stained majolica, you need to be certain that you are dealing with a piece that has no repair. Cleaning will remove any repair so if you suspect repair you're best to leave the piece alone or take it to a professional who will fix the repair after the cleaning. The peroxide may also affect over-the-glaze decoration like enamels or some transfers. Some delicate glazes like the lusters on Etruscan Ivory Ware or Wannopee Lettuce Leaf that are prone to showing wear because of the way they were applied are also sensitive to hydrogen peroxide. In these cases you are better leaving them alone.

If you are certain you want to proceed with the cleaning you need only six things: an oven, a cookie sheet, a covered, non-metallic container for the vessel or plate to be cleaned, surgical gloves to protect your hands, goggles to protect your eyes and hydrogen peroxide.

Over the years I have used many strengths of hydrogen peroxide to clean majolica. My favorite was a 115 volume clear peroxide I bought in bulk from a beauty supply house, but I have also used strengths of 100 volume, 40 volume and 20 volume that I have bought over the counter at beauty suppliers. The higher the volume, the quicker the cleaner will work but they all work basically the same way. You just need to be sure you are buying the clear peroxide and not the creme peroxide.

Peroxide is a dangerous chemical bleach so when you're using it be sure to use the greatest caution. Avoid contact with your skin because it BURNS, and always wear gloves when you are handling peroxide. It is best practice to also wear goggles when handling it, in case it should splash.

With gloves and goggles on, place the piece to be cleaned inside a container in which the piece can be completely submerged. For plates and platters I find plastic cake carriers turned upside down work very well. For pitchers, plastic beverage containers work well. What ever you use make sure that it has no leaks and a tight cover.

Pour enough of the peroxide into the container to cover the piece then close the container.
Now you leave the peroxide to do its work. In time the peroxide will seep into the pottery and dissolve the stain in the piece. It will also force the fat out of the pottery, but all this takes time. The longer you leave the piece to soak, the cleaner it gets. I usually leave it to soak one or two weeks for a mildly stained piece and a month or more for a more heavily stained piece.

After the soaking period has concluded, remove the piece from the peroxide (gloves on) and dry it lightly with a paper towel. Place the piece onto a cookie sheet (I find jelly roll pans work best) and put it into the center rack of your oven. Then you bake the piece at 175º F. for 30 minutes. The baking forces the remaining stain out of the piece. I would suggest running your exhaust fan during the baking as the smell that results is most unpleasant. Remove the piece from the oven and allow it to cool to room temperature.

When you remove the piece from the oven you will find that a lot of brown crud has formed on the surface of the piece. If the discharge is oily, as it often is, wipe as much off as you can right away or it will partially be reabsorbed by the pottery. Once the piece has cooled to room temperature, carefully wash it under running water. The brown crud will come right off.

That's it! If there is remaining stain you can repeat the process until it is completely clean. The peroxide can be used a number of times before it becomes depleted. Here’s an example I did of a Wedgwood butter dish base.

Wedgwood majolica butter dish base before cleaning

Wedgwood majolica butter dish base after cleaning

Wedgwood majolica butter dish base before cleaning

Wedgwood majolica butter dish base after cleaning

Many people are reluctant to bake the piece in the oven after soaking. You don't really need to do it to get a clean piece but I find that if you do not bake it a certain amount of the stain will slowly return over time. Sometimes, soaking it for an extended period of time will do the trick. 

Do be careful where you place the piece after cleaning though, ESPECIALLY if you decide not to bake it. For a couple of weeks after cleaning it may have residual hydrogen peroxide left in it which could affect the furniture you place it on, causing it to leave a bleached spot on the surface. This usually doesn’t happen if you bake it but just to be safe, place it on an inert surface that won’t be affected by any residual bleach until sufficient time has passed to allow the bleach to dissipate.

Good luck!

Fun With Majolica

I found these two files on an old hard drive. I created them for t-shirts.

They were the files that taught me how to work Photoshop and Illustrator so many years ago.

Ahhhhh, memories!

Water Lilies everywhere!

One of the most commonly found themes in majolica is the water lily and lotus. Not to be confused with the water hyacinth, which didn't appear in the West until the 1884 International Cotton Exhibition in New Orleans, the water lily and lotus have been part of majolica iconography from the beginning. Used rather interchangeably in majolica the easiest way to tell the difference between the two flowers in life is the thick center stigmal on the lotus.

Perhaps it's the beauty of the single flower floating on the water amongst elegantly formed flat leaves that caused the attraction. In any event the water lily was a well established form in the English conservatories that were often the home for large majolica pieces. Minton's famous St. George fountain, made for the London Crystal Palace Exhibition of 1862, was festooned with water lilies.

Minton's St. George fountain at the 1861 London Exhibition

In fact, it's difficult to find a Minton conservatory piece that doesn't reference them in some way or another.

Minton majolica lotus jardiniere

Minton majolica lily jardiniere

George Jones majolica garden seat

George Jones majolica jardiniere

George Jones majolica jardiniere

Water lilies were also common at the dining table with servers and center pieces of all kinds featuring the pink tipped white flower and flat leaves. In fact the flat leaves were perfect on the serving table.

Minton pond Lotus syrup

George Jones Lotus syrup

Minton majolica lotus jug

Jones majolica lotus strawberry server

Minton majolica lotus strawberry server

Minton pond lily center

Minton majolica serving dish

George Jones lotus center

Minton majolica tea set

George Jones & Sons Majolica Water Lily and Bamboo 

'Spencer's Patent' Magnetic Water Filter and Cover

George Jones majolica cheese bell

George Jones majolica kingfisher tray

George Jones majolica lily compote

Adams & Bromley majolica dessert stand

George Jones majolica lily pad plate

Minton majolica water lily platter

Samuel Lear/Wardle majolica tea set

Samuel Lear/Wardle majolica lily platter

This interest in the water lily transferred to the New World when majolica took the U.S. by storm in the 1870's. Both the Chesapeake Pottery and the firm of Griffen, Smith and Hill created their own versions of the water lily plate by closely copying one of the English patterns.

Adams & Bromley pond lily plate

The difference between the Etruscan version and the Adams & Bromley version is that the American plate is more colorful than the English ones.

Etruscan Majolica water lily plate

In fact the English plates, which are much more common than the American, are often confused by newbies as unmarked Etruscan. The Chesapeake Pottery treatment is distinctive to the company's unique handling of majolica.

The sole American pond lily dessert stand, by the Phoenixville Pottery  is one of the rarest pieces made by the company, while the English stands came in any number of different sizes and forms.

Most Etruscan pieces are marked so the likelihood of finding an "unmarked Etruscan" example is pretty small. The reverse is always one of the standard Etruscan reverse treatments.

Oysters a la Mode

One of my fondest memories of living in Philadelphia was meeting friends for lunch at the old Sansom Street Oyster House in the heart of the business district. It was like walking into a time warp. With the detailed wood paneled walls and old wood bar and booths, it looked like it hadn't changed since 1920. At lunch time it was always packed with business men in $1000 suits and imported silk ties negotiating business deals on their company's dime.

You didn't go to the SSOH for the food, that was always very basic oysters on the half shell and various other Surf-and-Turf items, you went for the ambiance.
This cool, dark, men's club-like atmosphere was punctuated with brightly colored oyster plates that ran around the restaurant on a plate rail at the perimeter of the paneling. There were almost 500 oyster plates up on that rail, many of them majolica. Front and center was a gorgeous turquoise Wedgwood fish platter.

That was almost 20 years ago.

The SSOH has since undergone two changes in ownership and bankruptcy proceedings. The current owners, descendants of the original owners, the Mink family, closed the restaurant in 2008 for an overhaul.

The new Oyster House, as it is now known, is now open and looks nothing like the old one. It is a clean, modern interior with a large raw bar front and center. The new emphasis is on the food as the old Surf-and-Turf has been updated with contemporary flair and a lighter touch. Add to this a young staff, a high quality cocktail bar, and an impressive wine list and the old relic is now ready to take on a new century.

One thing that hasn't changed though, are the oyster plates. The collection has been thinned down to 200 now but they still grace the walls of the restaurant in a new, more modern way.

And that gorgeous Wedgwood majolica fish platter is still there, visible in the photo above, front and center where it should be

I'll miss the old SSOH, but it's good to see those oyster plates back up on the wall where they belong.
Maybe they'll inspire a new generation of collectors like they inspired me.

The Dilemma of Specialty Majolica Auctions and Ebay

When I first joined eBay in June of 1998 it was a phenomenal place to buy and sell majolica. Not only did you have access to things you'd otherwise never see, but there was a whole audience out there for things that didn't sell well in your geographic area. The prices were often great because people hadn't yet learned how to snipe auctions at the last second and you would get great deals on things. eBay’s fees were quite reasonable too.

Those things started to change when eBay decided there were too many reserve auctions so they started to charge ridiculous prices for auctions with reserves. Their auction fees continued to rise to the point where it became no longer viable for many dealers to sell there, me among them. If you're only making a 10% markup on something, why would you allow eBay to take half of that, not to mention the expense of mailing and dealing with the mail carriers?

I stopped selling majolica on eBay regularly quite a few years ago. Every once in a while I'll test the waters and throw something on there to see how the market responds but it's rarely worthwhile anymore. The only regular selling I do on eBay is for my book, Etruscan Majolica: The Majolica of Griffen, Smith & Company. That's really just for promotional purposes anyway to let people know the book is out there. I make very little profit on those eBay sales.

Regular auctions are generally more profitable than eBay but it really depends where you consign. Michael Strawser has made a nice little business out of selling majolica with Majolica Auctions. His auctions are usually well attended and well advertised. If you have something special or unique to sell, his auctions are the usually the way to go. He gets very good prices for the seller, especially for European majolica.

If you're selling American majolica, like Etruscan, or more common pieces that may have their share of bumps and bruises, you're better off putting it into a well advertised local auction. So many Etruscan collectors have complained about Strawser's attitude towards American and unmarked majolica but you really can't blame the guy. He goes where the money is. He's just making a business decision by lumping the pieces into lots. His auctions for low end and middle of the road majolica are a great place to buy if you're looking for bargains, but an awful place to sell because the pieces often bring a fraction of what they'd bring at a general sale.

It helps to know where the audience is for your majolica as well. Phoenixville pieces will sell better in Pennsylvania. Morley pieces will sell better in Ohio, and Eureka Pieces will sell better in New Jersey. It's a pretty simple formula.

The prices have come down quite a bit since 1987 because of the stock market crash but these things are cyclical. This is a good time to buy at auction but not a particularly good time to sell. The prices are bound to go up again. You just need patience.

Regardless of where you buy or sell it, DO IT!