The Development of Maiolica across Islam and Christian Cultures - Research Paper Example

?88 The Development of Maiolica across Islam and Christian Cultures Anthropology, and more importantly archaeology which is a sub-field of anthropology studies the material culture of human civilization. Pottery is one of the more important material possessions for studying ancient cultures because in areas where pottery is found ways exist to date the area, study the meanings of symbols by what is on the pottery, and to discover something about the way in which pottery represents the living culture of that society. Maiolica pottery exists across Islam and Christian cultures. The following paper will look at the ways in which this tin-glazed pottery has appeared throughout the Middle Ages and the importance that it has had in showing how the technology of making this ceramic passed from the hands of one civilization to the next. Maiolica is tin-glazed earthenware ceramic that is made opaque because there is an addition of tin oxide in the lead glaze foundation or in its background coat. Lead is no longer used making ceramics because it is an unsafe product. Maiolica has a dense, white glassy covering which does not become liquid when fired. This means that the decorations do not become runny or blurred on the whitish background. When the ceramic piece is fired at a low temperature the decorations become set and the piece has a unique white glow that comes from the tin oxide in the lead glaze (Mussachio 9). Maiolica was transported to Pisa via Majorca, which is likely how the pottery got its name. It was brought in by the Spanish Moors who brought the technique to the Italians in about the 14th century. The first evidence of this technology comes from around the 9th century Baghdad. Islamic pottery of this type began to spread by the 11th century and was used in buildings that were both religious and civic (Figure 1). The Crusaders likely introduced the pottery in Europe as a symbol of their victory over the ‘pagans’. This meant that the technology and artistry were taken over by Christians to symbolize their victory over Islamic forces. The 13th - 15th centuries were a time of good trade between Italy and the Spanish Moors. The pottery was part of a large trade relationship during that period. When Italy began to produce its own version, the metallic luster that was on the Spanish version did not exist on its Italian type. Eventually this change in trend dominated the pottery market in Europe for more than three hundred years. Figure 1. Friday Mosque of Herat, Afghanistan (Wikipedia). The first complex intended for the production of maiolica was found in Syria from the 8th century BCE. Other centers of ceramic pottery production from Islamic nations include Fustat from 975 until 1075, Damascus from 1100 until 1600 and Tabriz from 1470 until 1550. The addition of the metallic luster occurred in about 850 BCE in Mesopotamia and became spread across the Islamic nations in the 10th century up to the Iberian Peninsula. This technique comes from putting copper or silver into the oxide which is then mixed with ocher and applied to the enameled or glazed surface (Fuga 246). The development of maiolica comes from Islamic attempts to reproduce Chinese porcelain, but they did not have the technology to make their pottery using the high temperatures needed to create porcelain (Cooper 84) (Figure 2). Figure 2 East Persian Maiolica, 10th Century (Wikipedia). The effect of tin-glaze over pottery was an adaptation of the Egyptian use of the clear glaze, but had been invented a thousand years earlier by the Babylonians who had only used it on top of their bricks as there is no evidence of it being used on ceramic pots (Cooper 86). One of the reasons that maiolica was used in Islam households was that the use of precious metals and finery on the table was forbidden from the text of the Qur’an. This use of ornate looking pieces made from ordinary materials overcame this command from the Islamic holy book (Italian Pottery Journal). Figure 3 Hispano-Moresque Maiolica 13th Century (Italian Pottery Journal) Islam spread through North Africa and into the Iberian Peninsula and was well established in Spain as early as the 11th century. By the 13th century the pottery which was coming from ‘Hispano-Moresque’ cultures were being created and traded with surrounding states. These pieces from Spain were typically painted in a metallic luster with blue vegetal patterns that were of a spiral form (Figure 3). This ornamentation which was based on the rabesche form of the Islamic decoration often featured everything from interlaced monograms to very fine knot work that was adorned with very small flowers (Cooper 86). The stopover in Majorca, which gives the pottery its name, meant that the vessels loaded with pottery from Spain were primarily coming from Malaga which was in the Muslim nation of Grenade and run by the Nasrid dynasty. In January of 1492 the last Nasrid leader, Sultan Boabdil, surrendered to Christian Spanish invaders. This meant that the ceramic production was moved from Malaga to Valencia which then exported the ceramic all over Europe. The desire for the Valencia product is in evidence until at least the end of the 15th century. These Hispano Moresque works were not only beautiful, but preferred as collectable items over those being made in Italy. Although nothing was supposed to be coming from abroad in the 15th century into Venice, the import of these pottery pieces was still a strong industry (Italian Pottery Journal). When the pottery crossed into Italy, this ornamentation of the rabesche also became a part of their traditions. Although it was used throughout Italy, it is most often found on pieces that come out of Venice and Genoa from the 16th century. The increased skill with which Italian designers were making maiolica meant that the shift from the trend of the Spanish variety to the Italian variety was inevitable. Two of the most famous workshops were the Jacopo da Pasaro and the Maestro Ludovico. They were producing maiolica with the rabesche design in the middle 16th century (Carboni 286). Maiolica was primarily being used to make dishes, albarello jars, and large chargers, and the pieces were considered highly valuable. Ostermann writes that “Italian maiolica and lusterware although initially heavily influenced by the Moresque wares, developed a distinct visual style characterized by complex, painted narratives” (14). These pieces were usually about biblical or humanistic values of the Renaissance based on the fascination with classical Greek and Roman philosophies and styles. Ostermann writes this was a rare time when ceramics were being considered a high form of art (14). Figure 5 Lacoon and Sons 15th (Wikipedia) Meanwhile the spread of maiolica into Christian societies was not limited to just Europe. Spanish colonies in America and in the Caribbean basin throughout the late 15th and the 16th century are available for the study of the spread of these pieces. Different forms of the pottery emerge independent from Europe with styles that are influenced by Chinese mannerisms as well as the Italian and Spanish mannerisms, suggesting that the creation of these pottery bits was not fully linked to the trends in Europe. One dilemma that has emerged is that the full pieces that are available from the various colonies are different from the large number of small fragments that are more readily available from the same areas. This discrepancy is likely because items that are more valuable are kept safe while those that are of less value end up in trash. The less valuable pieces suggest that there is another style of the maiolica pottery that has yet to be fully understood (Lister and Lister 17). Maiolica spread throughout Europe with a large portion of the new style of all-in-one glazes beginning in France. These pieces took on the name of faience from the name of the place where they were founded, which was Faenza in Italy. Eventually Antwerp was the most important center for production of the maiolica styled pottery. Delftware was the primary evolution of the use of tin-glaze that was being produced. By about 1800 the use of tin-glazed pottery was replaced by the development of porcelain factories with one of the more notable, Wedgewood, in England (Ostermann 16). The spread of maiolica in its various forms started from the use of tin-glazed brick in Babylonia to the colonies in the Caribbean and North America where all of its uses are still being explored. Although the technique was used in everything from brick to tableware, its beauty was valued and the artistry involved was clearly highly skilled. The Islam tradition of using it as tableware may stem from its beauty, but lack of valuable materials would have violated Qur’an tradition. The development of its form influenced both the tables of Islam and Christianity, proving once again that differences are not so great between these influential religions. List of Figures Figure 1. Friday Mosque of Herat, Afghanistan (Wikipedia). Figure 2 East Persian Maiolica, 10th Century (Wikipedia). Figure 3 Hispano-Moresque Maiolica 13th Century (Italian Pottery Journal) Figure 5 Lacoon and Sons 15th (Wikipedia) Works Cited Carboni, Stefano. Venice and the Islamic World, 828-1797. New Haven, Conn: Yale University Press, 2007. Print. Cooper, Emmanuel. Ten Thousand Years of Pottery. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2000. Print. Fuga, Antonella. Artists' Techniques and Materials. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2006. Print. “Italian Pottery Journal” That’s Arte. 2 February 2008. Web. 25 September 2013. Lister Florence and Lister, Robert H. “Maiolica in Colonial Spanish America”. Historical Archaeology. 8 (1974): 17-52. Mussacchio, James. M. Marvels of Maiolica: Italian Renaissance Ceramics from the Corcoran Gallery of Art collection. Hawkhurst: Bunker Hill, 2004. Print. Ostermann, Matthias. The New Maiolica: Contemporary Approaches to Color and Technique. North Ryde, N.S.W: Craftsman House, 1999. Print. Wikipedia. 2013. Web. 25 September 2013. Read More