Book Review: European Majolica: With Values by D. Michael Murray

In the United States majolica from the Central European continent doesn't quite have the following of British or French majolica. Add to this the distinctively restrained looking glazes commonly used in Bavaria and you have a form that is a mystery to many collectors. Some potteries in this group marked their wares but many did not. It is therefore of utmost importance to have a reputable resource for identification. European Majolica is such a resource.

Well organized, well written text that breaks the region down by major potteries the book features 350+ clear if unglamorous photos for reference. Whole chapters are devoted to the work of Wilhelm Schiller & Son; Julius Dressler; B. Block and Co.; and Zsolnay. Images of pottery marks are also included.

There is a special section in the back of the book for unattributed work which is mostly humidors and smoking related items. This is one of the weaker sections of the book as it treads lightly on the topic, probably because of the obvious crossover with French potters and companies like Sarreguemines which have changed nationality. There is also a section in the back of approximate values.

If I were to add any criticism of this reference it is in the short shrift given to the work of Lonitz. Murray identifies Lonitz as as a minor pottery and dismisses it rather quickly with just a couple of sentences. That is a great disservice to one of the finest potteries to make Victorian majolica which Lonitz is.

Apart from this, European Majolica is a good general reference for the collector
This book comes recommended if you are interested in a literate overview of these little discussed potteries.
European Majolica: With Values by D. Michael Murray: Schiffer Books; 174 pages: $29.95

Book Review: "Majolica" by Mike Schneider

Over the years many books on majolica have crossed my path. Of all of them, the paperback Majolica, by Mike Schneider and Schiffer Publishing, has to be the worst I have seen. Filled with incredibly bad photos of incredibly dull pieces and awful misinformation, Majolica is a disaster.

Now Mr. Schneider seems like a nice enough fellow, and I'm sure he is, but according to what information is available, Mr. Schneider is a contract writer. Nowhere in his biography is there any mention of any background in antiques, yet he is the author of nine books on antiques, as diverse as salt and pepper shakers, Stangl birds and Grindley pottery. In colloquial terms, some might call this kind of work hack writing: a writer hired to produce routine commercial writing.

I don't mean to be harsh on the fellow, I don't know him. Certainly he is only trying to make an honest living as a freelance writer, but unfortunately his lack of background in antiques comes through crystal clear in the text of Majolica. He claims to have three pieces of majolica in his own collection, but he never claims to have any personal knowledge of the subject. He is a good writer however, which goes a long way towards covering his inexperienced tracks but when you are writing a book about a specific subject, particularly one with a devoted following like majolica, one's passion needs to come through the page. Schneider's passion is as absent as cheese on the moon.

The book starts out promisingly enough. In the preface, Schneider waxes poetic about the young girls who may have painted the majolica you hold in your hand. It's a lovely little piece that instills a sense of marvel into the subject. Unfortunately, the elegant writing soon gives way to routine rehashes of the origin of majolica and the various forms that are available, all without any insight. This would have been forgivable were it not for the exceptionally bad choice of pieces for the book, flat photos, terrible captions and poor design that make up the bulk of the reference.

I have never seen such an undistiguished selection of majolica pieces in a majolica book. Most of the photos look like they were taken by a maiden aunt with her flash camera on the dining room table. I see far better images on eBay. It is absolutely appalling that photos this poor would find themselves in a reference publication.

As for the inaccuracies in the caption text, the book has no equal. A piece of creamware is identified as "the plainest piece of majolica you'll ever see." Staining is routinely identified as crazing while a 10" Continental corn pitcher is identified as "either unmarked Etruscan or an Etruscan copy." He claims that the Etruscan Shell pitcher came in three sizes. That should come as news to those who have Shell pitchers in ten more sizes. There seems to be more accuracy in crediting the owners of the pieces than in discussing the pieces themselves.

The paperback's design is another disaster. First of all the cover is what we used to call "pig ugly" when I was a child. Pictures inside are all different sizes, some with borders, some without, some bleeding off the page, some centered. The captions are carelessly centered below the images with no uniformity to the distance between the image and the caption or the amount of white space on the page. If a designer presented this to me as a portfolio piece I would take their business card and toss it right into the trash.

It's a shame that a reference this bad would be in its fourth edition with a four star overall rating on Amazon. I can only assume that some people have extremely low expectations about their majolica reference material. In my opinion it's an insult to readers, authors and the subject itself.

Majolica by Mike Schneider; Schiffer Publishing; 4th Revised edition; 144 Pages; $14.95  

Book Review: "The Collector's Encyclopedia of Majolica" by Mariann Katz-Marks

If there was any reference that was responsible for assisting in the popularization of majolica in the US it would have to be the original Mariann Katz-Marks books Majolica Pottery: An Identification and Value Guide/1st Series & 2nd Series. These two paperback books were the first real collector's guides to the majolica market. Released in 1983 and 1985 respectively, they were the right thing at the right time.

Preceded about five years earlier by the Charles Rebert book, American Majolica: 1850-1900, they were the first user friendly reference to majolica with pricing, something the Rebert book decidedly was not. They also listed both American and English majolica, something else that was new to the majolica reference market.

Written by a dealer who appeared to have a modest understanding of majolica, these two references were for many years the only references available. As such they had an enormous impact on shaping the early majolica market. I've written about the influence of the Marks books before here and here.

In time other majolica books became available including two definitive references: Karmeson-Stack’s, Majolica: A Complete History and Illustrated Survey and Bard Graduate Center’s, Majolica Mania: Transatlantic Pottery in England and the United States 1850-1915. Since, the Marks books lost their monopoly of the market and with it their influence. In 1992, the two books were combined, reformatted and expanded into the hardcover The Collector's Encyclopedia of Majolica. It is this reference that I am reviewing today.

The content in this format has remained a useful reference, particularly for the beginning collector. Created in the usual unattractive, haphazard Schroeder publications style, the photographs are large and clear if unattractively taken against a yellow or grey ground. Light on information and heavy on images, it is exactly the kind of reference the casual collector loves, providing a good overview to the forms in which majolica is available. The photo captions are short and punchy, often betraying the author's clear bias towards American majolica. There is a very short and superficial history of the pottery and a section in the back of poorly photographed maker's marks. If the book has an obvious flaw aside from its hideous design it is in the lack of representations of Continental majolica. 

Like its paperback precedents the price guide is its weakest component, underestimating the prices of the English pieces and overestimating the value of the American ones. It is also more difficult to use than its paperback counterpart since the price guide is now all located at the back of the book. This was certainly done to allow for easy updating.

Today, many years after the first Marks book were released, the book remains a good general reference for the beginning collector. The more sophisticated collector however, will come away wanting more substance.

The Collector's Encyclopedia of Majolica Pottery by Marianne Katz-Marks; Collector Books; 192 Pages; $9.33  

This post has been updated since it was first published.

Book Review: "Majolica: British, Continental and American Wares, 1851-1915" by Victoria Bergesen

It may seem a bit odd to review a book that is not only 21 years old and already out of print, but I felt it was important to let other collectors know about this important resource available to them. This is a MUST HAVE book for any serious collector of majolica. I would like to encourage anyone who does not already have a copy to pick one up on the secondary market.

Published in 1989 in England this 224 page book was only available as an import for a relatively brief time. The author is Victoria Bergesen, an American expatriate living in England who has made the study of British ceramics her life's work.

This book is very different from all the other general majolica books that have come out in the past 30 years in that it's not a picture book. In fact the photographs, what few there are, are the weakest component of the book. There are some black and white images with the text, and a few color plates.

There are really two features of this book that makes it stand out. The first is an unmatched listing of all the known potteries that manufactured majolica during the period from 1851-1915. There is a small write up of each of the potteries listed including the years of manufacture and notable features of the company's work.

The second feature, in the back of the book, is a list of the existing pattern numbers for the majolica shapes from Minton, George Jones and Wedgwood. This listing has been invaluable to me over the years in helping to identify unknown and unusual pieces of majolica. All you have to do is check the shape number on the bottom of your piece against the listings in this book to find out information on your piece. No where else outside of the British museums can you find such a complete list of majolica wares.

The book also includes information on decoding the diamond registration marks on the base of British wares and the symbols on the base of Minton wares. There is a large listing of important designers, decorators and modelers of majolica and the wares they worked on and sections listing the registered designs of various potteries as well as known marks of the potteries. In the back is an annotated bibliography that is bound to be a great resource to those doing research on majolica.

If you love majolica like I do and take your interest seriously, this is the book for you. I know I wouldn't trade my copy for any other majolica book in or out of print.