Etruscan Majolica Animal Pieces

In 2010 it was my privilege to give a lecture on Etruscan Majolica at the annual meeting of the Majolica International Society. My interest at the time was to promote the collecting of Etruscan Majolica and to tell collectors about my new books on the company. My lecture was divided into a section on the company history followed by sections on each of the major themes the company explored in their production. For each of these I did a short video showing all the pieces presented in my book.

Etruscan Majolica triple dolphin compote.

Eleven years and a new edition of the book later, I’m happy to say that the book is still selling consistently, but the lecture has dissipated into memory. I thought it might be of interest to include some of the videos I prepared for the lecture here in this blog.

The current edition of our book

The first video I’m going to present shows the animal themed pieces the company made. From butterflies to dolphins to swans the company created some lovely things. Detailed descriptions of all these pieces appear in the book. A link to the book on Amazon is found above as well as on the sidebar to the right. 

I hope you find the video entertaining and informative.

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Video©D.Bastas

Some More Recent Majolica Reproductions

Keeping abreast of the ongoing onslaught of majolica reproductions is not easy but I recently saw five that were new to me that I want to bring to my reader’s attention.

The first of these is a copy of a George Jones fox compote. The reproduction bears all the familiar signs of an Asian export: thick modeling, muddy semi matte glaze and crude manufacture.

George Jones majolica hound compote

Reproduction hound compote

Another reproduction that is new to me is a copy of a pitcher attributed to Shorter & Boulton and copied by the Eureka pottery in Trenton during the 1880's. This reproduction lacks the crisp detail of the Nineteenth Century pieces and has glazing that would never have been used in Victorian majolica.

Shorter & Boulton bird and wicker pitcher

Eureka majolica bird pitcher

Reproduction bird pitcher

I also recently saw an appalling copy of the George Jones oyster plate. The glazing is done using a peculiar glaze treatment, probably in an attempt to reproduce the iridescent glazes used by antique majolica.

George Jones oyster plate above, reproduction below

The next reproduction is actually two different reproductions of the same piece, one worse than the next. The piece being copied is a bear pitcher made by the Skey Wilnecoate Works. The reproductions are of different quality from each other. One is poorly modeled with a pink glazed interior. The second is even more poorly modeled. The one with a blue lining and green paws is so poorly done that it's hard to imagine anyone thinking it is antique, yet I have seen them offered for sale for hundreds of dollars. It is clearly a recent product of Southeast Asia.

George Skey majolica bear majolica pitcher

Reproduction Skey bear pitcher

Reproduction bear pitcher

A recent George Jones reproduction that doesn't attempt to fool because it is marked on the reverse is a Bacchus two lobed grape server. I don't recognize the mark but it is impressed on the base so it cannot be removed by anyone trying to deceive.

George Jones majolica grape server

Reproduction majolica grape server

Mark on the reproduction grape server

The final reproduction I have for you in this post is a poor interpretation of a Minton vase–a cherub riding a dolphin cornucopia. Again the modeling on the Asian copy is crude, there is complete deficit of detail and the glazes muddy.

Minton majolica cherub vase

Reproduction cherub vase

As I have said many times before, there is nothing wrong with buying a reproduction so long as you know what you're buying. My issue is with ignorant or unscrupulous dealers who sell reproductions as antique and charge prices far above the actual value of the piece. Any reputable dealer should accept a return if a piece is accidentally misrepresented. Unfortunately many of these pieces come into the marketplace through auctions and consignment shops where auctioneers and consigners hold no responsibility for things that are sold and sales are final. Knowing what you're buying is always the best defense against a bad purchase.