Majolica

a kind of pottery. Genuine majolica, the majolica of collectors, is a tableware made in Italy, especially in the island of Majorca, during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. It is made of a coarse clay paste covered by raised decorative enamel in wondrously attractive, intense colors. The work was done by hand. The most noted artists of the day took pride in majolica decorations. The designs and central figures were executed with as much fidelity as the finest sculptures and oil paintings. A number of Raphael's famous paintings were copied in the decorations of this ware. In modern pottery-making the majolica style of ware is considered especially appropriate for vases and pitchers.