HOW IS THE MAJOLICA MADE?

Wheel work is very specialized, working from a sample, each form is pulled up until  the desired shape is achieved. Although today's wheels are operated by an electric foot, not too much has changed since the sixteenth century. Attaching handles to pieces like pitchers, mugs and cups is traditionally a woman's job because other than physical strength needs patience and delicacy. Once off the wheel and half dry, each piece is carefully gone over to remove any imperfections and smooth out rough edges. Since not all shapes can be turned on the wheel, flat forms, like plates, platters, are built using plaster molds. Each plaster is carefully crafted by a master and can be used for about two hundred times.

After the first firing  at about 1000 degrees centigrade, the piece is referred to as a bisque ware (biscotto). Once reached the bisque stage, pieces are dipped in a bath of white glaze, which provides the backdrop of the main design.

After about 24 hours of drying the piece is ready to be painted. Intricate designs are laid down on the white underglaze using a stencil method called pouncing (spolvero). The design is traced onto a thin sheet of paper and the outlines are then perforated with tiny holes. The stencil is laid against the piece to be decorated and a carbon-filled sack is gently beaten against the piece, leaving behind faint lines that will disappear during the second firing. The pouncing provides a faint outline for the decorator to fill in with colours. When borders are done, the decoration is completed by painting inside and outside of the lines.

Once the piece is entirely decorated, it gets sprayed with Crystalline before the final firing. The glass coating adds brilliance to the glaze and also makes the colour more able to withstand daily use. Then the piece is ready for the second and final firing around 900/950 degrees centigrades for about 12 hours. The colours melt together with the glaze and the piece gets the luster of authentic majolica.