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Course: The J. Paul Getty Museum > Unit 2
Lesson 4: Decorative arts- An introduction to decorative arts at the J. Paul Getty Museum
- Unlocking an 18th-century French mechanical table
- Construction of an 18th-century French mechanical table
- "Opening" the decorative arts collection
- Introduction to decorative arts quiz
- The inlay technique of marquetry
- Masters of marquetry in the 17th century: Boulle
- Masters of marquetry in the 18th century: Oeben, Roentgen, Abbiati
- Masters of marquetry quiz
- Making maiolica
- Maiolica: history, function, and production
- Maiolica quiz
- Stained glass: history and technique
- How stained glass is made
- Stained glass quiz
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Making maiolica
Today maiolica is still made in many of the same Italian towns and workshops in which it was created five hundred years ago during the Renaissance and methods have changed very little. Created by Getty Museum.
Want to join the conversation?
- At1:15, the video indicates that Renaissance potters occasionally left fingerprints on the base. Have these fingerprints ever been used to confirm the identity of the original artist?(12 votes)
- That's a very interesting question! I don't know much about the Renaissance but I think that depends on whether or not the fingerprints of the people were being recorded at the time.
I don't have an exact answer but I have a speculation regarding that matter
There two possible scenarios here:
1.) If the fingerprints of each person during the Renaissance have been recorded along with their birth certificate then yes, we can use it to find the identity of the original artist
or...
2.) If not then we won't be able to do so.(2 votes)
- What's the difference between Maiolica art and pottery? Is it just a form of pottery?(5 votes)
- There is no difference because Maiolica is a type of pottery, created by a potter. It mainly makes plates and other forms of art, just like pottery. Therefore, Maiolica is a form of pottery.(2 votes)
- How did the potters make their blue dyes? In antiquity, blue was a rare, special colour, because it came from precious lapis lazuli. Is this still the case in the Renaissance?(2 votes)
- I'm pretty sure. But according to the video between1:50and1:54, it was mainly earth tones. This makes me think that it could have been made of flowers or other plants. But it was still a "royal" color, for it was very rare, though it was one of the only Maiolica colors available.(1 vote)
Video transcript
Voiceover: Using methods
dating back to the Renaissance the potter begins to make a vessel
by kneading a small clump of clay. She forms the clay into a
consistent mass ridding it of air. The potter carefully centers
the clay on the spinning wheel in preparation for what is called
throwing or forming the jar. She maintains the wheels
consistent speed with her feet. By exerting pressure with her hands
the clay takes on the desired shape. The potter centers a mold which is used
to make plates quickly and uniformly. She then centers the clay and using
her hands presses it onto the mold. Keeping her hands steady with a
bar the potter removes excess clay to make a thin and uniform plate. The potter coats the Maiolica vessel
with a tin glaze after it's first firing. Tin glazes are used because they
produce an opaque white ground, and are unlikely to run
or blur during firing. In the process of dipping into the glaze, Renaissance potters occasionally left
fingerprints on the surface of vessels, usually around the base. The glaze is white ground, provided
an ideal contrast for the rich and brilliant colors used by
Renaissance ceramic painters. After the glaze has dried,
the potter paints Maiolica in colorful patterns and images. The pigments available to the
Renaissance potters were limited mainly to blue, green and earth tones. Once ceramics were fired and painted,
their decoration did not fade with time. Giving us a a rare glimpse
of the original colors used during the 14 and 1500s. In the Renaissance, wood
fires produced heat for kilns. The burning wood released ash, smoke
and gas which could endanger vessels. To protect the most precious
vessels, potters used containers made of special refractory clay able
to withstand very high temperatures. All Maiolica vessels once decorated,
were put back into the kiln for the second or what's
called the glossed firing. During this second firing, the glaze
and pigments fused to the vessel giving Maiolica its distinctive
bright colors and glass like finish.