VERANDA is one of my most favorite shelter magazines always a treasure trove of wonderful articles and photos. The top photo originally appeared in the March/April 2021 issue of VERANDA, Photo from Linda Horn: https://www.veranda.com/shopping/home-accessories/a35369869/what-is-majolica/

“Spanish moors first produced majolica on the Majorca island. In the 15th century, the art was introduced into Italy by the moors, later making it to England following the 1851 Great Exhibition in London. The modern form of majolica was significantly different from the Italian version mainly because it didn’t promote religious, mythological themes and was more in three dimensions. Victorian majolica highlighted the social and scientific advances of the era and was popular with the English middle and upper classes.” https://canonburyantiques.com/kbd/A-Brief-History-of-Majolica-Porcelain/

A couple of renderings of how the pottery would have originally been displayed…

The look of most of the pieces I am featuring in this post first made their appearance at London’s Great Exhibition of 1851 when Minton & Co. presented this vivid earthenware in fantastical shapes. “The 1851 Great Exhibition showcased majolica to make it one of the most significant sensations of the 19th and 20th centuries. Minton and other manufacturers started producing decorative tiles for the tavern, train station, and other interiors across England. At the same time, the company made majolica porcelain pieces for use by the emergent middle class. glazed earthenware in fantastical shapes made to mimic “the refined tin-glazed maoilica of the Italian Renaissance”.

Minton was soon followed by Wedgwood and George Jones in England as well as European, American and Japanese companies. At its inception it was reasonably priced and for many years extremely popular…like many collectibles it fell out of favor only to be prized by collectors of all things Victorian….think more is more, it isn’t subtle and that is probably why it appeals to me. The price points vary from very inexpensive to major investments…this is a collectible that needs great in-depth study and thought (as always consult the knowledgeable RSM dealers, gather books and articles to expand your education on your subject and buy what you like when you see it!)…do you want an authentic Victorian piece..be prepared to spend major dollars…do you want the “look” you can find many examples…both you will find at our beloved Randolph Street Market and, by the way, it is a collectible that can have a nick or two and still be worthy!

Let’s look at some pieces I found interesting as well as some thoughts on featuring them in your home…once again, I fell down the proverbial rabbit hole when researching this post….so much information available, a good thing but certainly not conducive to a short blog post!!!! But here we go…

Some Minton Jardinieres…

A selection of George Jones cheese domes…

George Jones covered butter dish

Minton game pie dishes…

Miscellaneous pieces that caught my eye…

Decorating with Majolica… pick an item…pick a theme…pick a color…mix and match…(you will see a Turkey platter in one of the photos refer to my RSM blog post on collecting them).

The following five vignette photos are from @sharonran1 on Instagram they are stunning! I’m “fangirling”…

The aforementioned turkey platter vignette…

Books, you bet….many…

Here is my one and only piece, it happens to be German….Lily of the Valley, of course!

All photos unless stated…are from Pinterest photo credits unknown.

—–
EXCLUSIVE FOR THE RANDOLPH STREET MARKET BY NENA IVON, Nena’s Notes

www.nenasnotes.com
www.facebook.com/Nena Ivon
www.instagram.com/nenasnotes