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.

Majolica in the Media: The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

Ever on the lookout for my favorite esoteric Victorian earthenware, I was pleasantly surprised to see some on one of my TV guilty pleasures: "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills." First of all I have to admit I’ve followed the Beverly Hills gang as long as they've been on television. I believe it was one of the first of the Housewives franchises and to my mind still the best.

If you've ever watched any of these reality programs part of the enjoyment is vicariously following the lives of these glamour queens and being invited into their homes. I am constantly amazed how one after the other their homes all look like they were decorated by the same design firm. Always against spectacular backdrops, the homes are filled with over-the-top oversized, whitewashed, faux antiques. Everything that is not white or ivory is in muted pastel earth tones. It's as if someone sucked all the color out of their world to keep them from openly expressing any individual personality. A sort of chromophobia. The only color ever shown is in the greenery and the gigantic floral arrangements they just happen to have delivered every day; arrangements that probably cost the equivalent of most people's weekly salaries. 

Into this colorless world where a pair of Dolce Gabanna shoes have more importance to these ladies than their children, Bravo TV periodically stages little road trips to keep the ladies interesting so they can bitch about each other in exotic locations. This season the ladies visited Columbus, Ohio; Florence, Italy; and the Hamptons of New York. The Columbus trip was a bit of a drag, in spite of having a miniature horse in a pink tutu, but the trip to Italy was nice. Of course the Housewives couldn’t be bothered with the artistic masterpieces of Florence. They spent most of their time lying by the pool and shopping for muumuus in a caftan store. On the Hamptons sojourn Bravo set up three of the ladies in a quiet rented oceanside bungalow while the others decided to stay in hotels. It was in this tiny—by Hamptons standards—seaside mansion that the majolica was spotted.

Lisa Vanderpump and the miniature horse

Unlike the ladies' usual haunts this home is decorated in what could only be called Hamptons shabby chic. Filled with country antiques and antique reproductions it is decorated in a mixture of English country and New England summer cottage. Both solid green and full color majolica are sprinkled liberally throughout the house as is furniture that is not whitewashed, making for an unusually colorful backdrop for the housewives Hamptons drama. I think I actually even saw a wall painted a color darker than ivory, making this truly an exotic locale for the ladies.

I’ve included some screen captures from an episode so you can judge for yourself. These are from episode seven of season six.

Erika Girardi makes a glamorous entrance with an 
English majolica backdrop

Erika Girardi discusses her alter ego Erika Jayne with a majolica witness

English majolica leaf dish

Erika Girardi 

Majolica English Barbotine style vase, possibly Wardle

Lisa Rinna and Eileen Davidson discuss hurt
feelings surrounded by English and American majolica

Etruscan majolica oak leaf tray

Note the Japanese corn on the cob set in the hutch and the 
Adams & Bromley majolica begonia leaf on the wall

Eileen Davidson about to confront Lisa Vanderpump. 
Note the previously seen English majolica in a pine cabinet

And so majolica has finally hit the big time, making it to prime time reality television. How exciting can life get!

2015 Year End Wrap Up

Every year at this time we check the stats at Blogger to see the posts that are most popular among our readers. As has been the case for the past several years, interest in posts on the three major English potters, Wedgwood, Minton and Jones continue to lead in page views with Jones leading the pact. Of the posts written this past year, our post on Asparagus Servers leads the way with our posts on Jardinières and Cachepots and the Majolica of Wasmuel following in that order.

While the prices for majolica have held steady this year, prices of antiques in general have taken a deep plunge since the beginning of the 2008 recession. Prices for all majolica manufacturers are at their lowest point in over 20 years. Even majolica at the highest end is down since its peak in 2007. This is great news for the collector who can now afford pieces once outside of their price range but it is bad for the investor who has seen the value of their collection drop by half. 

Majolica as a collectible has fallen out of fashion after 30 years of steadily increasing interest. This in part is probably a result of decorators now favoring modern design over the traditional design of the past 40 years, but majolica is not alone in losing value. Across the board, antiques have lost their appeal to younger buyers. Many young people associate antiques with the elderly thanks to programs like Antique Roadshow. Antique furniture has taken a dramatic drop in value as younger buyers are more interested in mid century design than Art Nouveau. The clean modern look favored by tv home makeover shows is in direct conflict with the cluttered shelves full of smalls favored by collectors.

We have become a more mobile society where transporting vans full of old "stuff" every few years simply has become impractical. Buying a new suite of disposable furniture from Ikea has become more economically feasible than spending thousands of dollars on a mover. When it's time to relocate you just throw out the old furniture and buy new at your new location. The smaller living spaces most are dealing with also do not lend themselves to the oversized pieces of the past. 

For many years the popularity of majolica could be attributed to the popularity of the "country" look in furniture and accessories. There's no question that majolica lends itself well to this, but as French country and English country and American country have all fallen from favor the market for majolica has gone with it. In part this is certainly a result of the economics of the vanishing middle class. Where the market for high end antiques continues to be relatively healthy, the bottom has completely fallen out from mid range antiques. People of modest means simply no longer have sufficient disposable income to spend. A recent survey by The Economist found that the number of antique dealers who have closed up shop has increased tenfold in just the past few years.

The changing media landscape has added to this. Ten years ago a piece of majolica featured in a popular magazine like Vanity Fair would increase the value of similar pieces across the globe. Unfortunately magazines have lost their sway with the public with social media taking its place. The last thing that social media is concerned with is antiques.. unless of course you have a Kardashian sitting on one!

So where does that leave us heading into 2016? Popularity vacillates with taste. Most observers expect the prices of antiques to rise again in time but possibly not in our lifetimes... but you never know. If you enjoy collecting for the sake of collecting there is no reason for you not to do so, but the days of buying antiques for investment purposes seem to have past. As they say, buy what you love because you love it and you will never go wrong. 

Speaking for ourselves we will continue to cover the majolica market. Our love affair with majolica has not ended and according to our Blogger stats there is still plenty of company for those who join us in appreciating the color, the fantasy and the whimsy of Victorian majolica.

*This post has been updated since it was first published.