Purple Majolica Rain

Like most people alive in the 1980s, we cannot conceive of the decade without the music of Prince. He and Michael Jackson dominated that decade musically with many of my fondest memories triggered by their songs. When I heard this afternoon that Prince had died the very first image that came to mind was driving down Sunset Boulevard for the first time in the summer of 1984 with "When Doves Cry" blaring on the speakers of my new car. It's though memory pictures like this that artists touch our lives and gain immortality through their art.

As I was thinking of a way of honoring Prince through the blog it became clear that purple wasn't a color that was used much as a main ground color in majolica. In fact I can't think of a single piece in which purple was used as the predominate color on a regular basis. There was plenty of lavender and mauve and lilac and violet and aubergine but no pure purple. So I decided to collect images of pieces I knew of in these variations of purple and use them in my small tribute to Prince.

The French probably used the color more than any other group with the Massier frères using variations of purple on their flower form pieces.

Massier majolica iris jardiniere

Massier majolica cabbage plate

Massier majolica clock

Massier majolica iris vase

Massier majolica orchid vase

The English used variations of purple often as a contrasting color. Minton, Brown-Westhead & Moore, and Copeland pieces often had purple and its variations used as an accent color. It was also a component of the Wedgwood Argenta glazed pieces.

Minton majolica oyster plate

Minton majolica frog creamer

Minton majolica lotus jug

Wedgwood Argenta Ocean majolica seafood sauce boat

Wedgwood Argenta Ocean plate

Pair Minton majolica vases

Minton majolica garden seat

George Jones majolica Iris pitcher

Copeland majolica primrose jardiniere

Brown-Westhead Moore majolica grape pitcher

Brown-Westhead Moore majolica orchid vase

Majolica fox and grapes tray

Joseph Roth/London majolica sardine box

It was used sometimes in Minton's  tiles.

The Germans and Austrians used the color occasionally in their smoke themed wares.

Smoking fish majolica humidor

Austrian majolica pig humidor

It also appeared in its lavender and periwinkle variations in American majolica.

Etruscan majolica holy water font

GSH majolica grape plate

GSH majolica fruit plate

GSH majolica maple plate

GSH majolica grape leaf plate

So, with this cursory view of the color purple on majolica we say goodbye to a great musician who will always remain with us in some way: Prince.

Majolica in the Movies: "Annie"

It was an uncharacteristically cold and rainy April afternoon that I decided to forgo my usual weekend chores and vegetate in front of the TV. I turned on my usual go-to channel, Turner Classic Movies, and found them playing "The Wizard of Oz."  As Dorothy went about discovering that there's no place like home I started drifting off into a nap on my sofa. I woke up about an hour later to find myself watching John Huston's movie version of the Broadway musical Annie.

I remember seeing Annie at the movie theatre in 1982 and disliking it enormously. I'm not entirely sure what it is about that musical that rubs me the wrong way but I had a similar response to the play on Broadway when I saw it a few years earlier. My memories of that evening on the Great White Way are quite vivid, but the musical has very little to do with that. Could this be the source of my Annie problem? 

You see, I was in the Alvin theatre watching Annie on July 13, 1977, the evening of the great New York blackout. After Reid Shelton's Daddy Warbucks and Sandy Faison's Grace led the cast into a rousing chorus of the song "You Won't Be an Orphan for Long" for the first act finale the lights in the theatre rose for the play's intermission.

The original Broadway cast of Annie.

About five minutes into the intermission. the theatre lights suddenly went dark. There was some confusion about what was happening. Ushers rushed people back to their seats with their flashlights expecting the second act to begin... but nothing happened. After about fifteen minutes an announcement came from the stage that the remainder of the performance had been cancelled. As theatre patrons from "Annie" started drifting out into the Times Square area, we witnessed one of the most astonishing sights I have ever seen. All of Manhattan was pitch black. The only lights in the entire city came from the automobiles in the street. The great buildings of Times Square were just dark silhouettes against the moonlit sky. 

As I wandered down Broadway marveling at the great city in the dark, the crowds around me took on something of a party attitude. People were laughing and screaming with delight, dancing, drinking and getting rowdy. It wasn't long though that the atmosphere began to change to one a little less congenial: people became rowdier and fighting began to break out here and there around Times Square. As I approached the garage where my car was parked on 42nd street, a young woman ran up to me and threw her arms around me asking for a kiss. She caught me completely off guard but it didn't take long to tell she was grabbing for my wallet. I pushed her away and headed straight to my car. With the confusion and potential danger in the streets I couldn't get out of the city fast enough. It was a good thing I did. The city broke down into rioting and looting as the evening wore on. By then I was safely on the New Jersey Turnpike on my way back to my home in Philadelphia.

Midtown Manhattan July 13, 1977

I can't say for sure if my reaction to Annie is colored by that initial experience with it. Maybe it is. In any event I've never liked any iteration of the musical. I don't know what caused me to sit back and continue to watch the movie on TCM that Saturday afternoon but I'm glad I did. During the song "I think I'm going to like it here" a large piece of Minton majolica appeared on the screen. The Minton naiads with a clam shell centerpiece was on Daddy Warbucks' dining table! I couldn't believe my eyes so I took a second look. It was definitely the Minton piece. 

Daddy Warbucks dining table With Minton centerpiece in 1982's Annie 

As the song developed another piece of majolica appeared: a Minton pedestal in a bathroom where Sandy, the dog, was being washed. 

Scene from Annie

I only wish we could have had a better view of the pedestal it but it was off to the side of the screen. I was energized by the casual appearance of the majolica so I paid closer attention to the movie sets. Alas, there was no more majolica to be seen in the remainder of the movie.

Minton majolica Flower Bearers

Minton majolica pedestal

With the movie finished I had to admit that my final opinion of it hadn't really changed I'm afraid, despite the genial background decor. I guess that July trip to New York in 1977 will remain the only interesting memory I'll ever have of Annie.

To view the Annie trailer go here.