Glazed and Confused: February 2022

Massier majolica cat jardiniere

Cats are the most common domestic pet in the world so naturally majolica manufacturers would want to cash in on that with pieces celebrating that curious, mysterious, sometimes loved, sometimes hated furry creature. There are so many majolica cats to see that I couldn't cover them all in my previous post.

Since I did my last post on cat themed majolica, which was inspired by my little stray Bo, she passed away at the age of 11. A year later my sister took in a stray pregnant young cat who gave birth to five kittens. I agreed to take two of the girls who I named Coco and Lulu. They have inspired this second installment on cat majolica fever.

Let's start with some wild cats. Lion heads are frequently used as decorative elements on majolica pieces. The number of pieces that do this are too large to post here but I'll start by showing some examples.

Minton majolica jardiniere

Minton lion handled majolica jardiniere

Minton majolica pedestal

Brown-Westhead Moore jardiniere

Etruscan Majolica lion paw and head vase,

a copy of an English piece

Traditional use of wild cats in majolica is universal, appearing in majolica both in England and the European continent.

Sarreguemines lion's head jug

George Jones majolica lion compote

Schiller & Sons majolica lion

Minton majolica lion figure

French majolica lion jug

Bernard Bloch tobacco stand

Continental majolica lion

Lonitz majolica lion

Thêodore Deck statue of Bastet

Onniang majolica jardiniere

Frie Onnaing majolica lion pitcher. Also made at Nimy

Krause majolica candlestick

Doulton Lambeth majolica candlesticks

Continental majolica lion and tiger drawn chariot

Fives Lille lion pitcher

Saint Uze majolica lion pitcher

Krause majolica lion compote

Krause majolica lion vase

Krause majolica tiger vase

Choisy-le-Roi majolica tiger planter

Bernard Bloch tiger majolica tobacco stand

Wedgwood majolica animal transfer plate

Brown-Westhead Moore majolica tigers

Brown-Westhead Moore cat vase

Austrian majolica tiger head humidor

Onnaing majolica tiger jardiniere

Continental majolica jardiniere

Krause leopard majolica compote

Krause leopard and flamingo compote

St. Clement majolica leopard pitcher

Of course there are many pieces with domestic cats. These are among the most collectible designs majolica buyers seek.

George Jones majolica cat and mouse pin tray

Minton majolica cats on basket

English majolica kittens in a basket

Cat and basket majolica toothpick

Czech majolica cat jardiniere

Unattributed majolica jar with cat finial

Continental anthropomorphic

majolica decanter

B & L anthropomorphic

Puss in Boots majolica decanter

Continental majolica cat decanter

Dreyfus majolica cat teapot

Brown-Westhead Moore majolica cat on books

French majolica cat oil lamp

Cat pitchers are very popular with collectors. I illustrated many in my previous cat majolica post. Here are a few more.

Gustavsberg majolica cat pitcher, a copy of Minton

Dreyfus majolica. cat jug

Saint Clément majolica cat pitcher

Then there are the figural and decorative cats.

French majolica anthropomorphic cat

Massier majolica cat basket

Massier majolica cat

Choisy-le-Roi majolica cat with kittens and rooster

Portuguese majolica romantic cats

Victorians liked their cats in smoking paraphernalia.

Continental majolica cat match striker

Portuguese majolica smoking stand

Austrian cat on chest humidor

Cats were used for a variety of other decorative yet practical functions.

Alvas majolica cat and kitten toothpick holder

Unattributed anthropomorphic cat toothpick

Austrian majolica anthropomorphic

cat candlestick

German majolica cat and egg box

Wasmuel majolica cat bank

Austrian majolica cat bud vase

The French had a fondness for life-size cats to decorate their roofs and the sides of their homes. These were made of terra-cotta and covered in majolica glazes, often with inset glass eyes that would shimmer in the night lights.