Mezza Majolica

mezza majolica, majolica also spelled Maiolica, in pottery, an earthenware body dipped into clay slip and covered with a lead glaze, superficially resembling true majolica, or tin-glazed earthenware. In German it is sometimes known as halb-fayence (“half faience”). Both terms are misnomers; the ware is more correctly classified as sgraffito. That is, it is decorated by incision through the slip to reveal differently coloured clay beneath.

Mezza majolica was produced in Italy from the late 15th until the 18th century, the main centre being Bologna. Since the glaze used was lead rather than tin, as in true majolica, it had a tendency to run when fired, causing a blurring of the design that, though not always unpleasant aesthetically, was, at best, unpredictable. The method of decoration, sometimes used in conjunction with glazes coloured green and manganese, is technically related to certain Chinese and Korean objects. The technique was practiced by Byzantine potters in Constantinople and made its appearance in Italy about 1500.