{"id":1396,"date":"2016-03-26T23:59:21","date_gmt":"2016-03-26T23:59:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/madelena.com\/blog\/?p=1396"},"modified":"2025-10-09T14:26:21","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T13:26:21","slug":"lead_glaze_victorian_majolica","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/madelena.com\/blog\/lead_glaze_victorian_majolica\/","title":{"rendered":"Lead Glaze Perfection – lead-glazed Victorian Majolica"},"content":{"rendered":"

Madelena Antiques\u00a0<\/a> Buy, sell and discover lead glaze majolica, Staffordshire figures,\u00a0Moorcroft,\u00a0Wedgwood lustre\u00a0and\u00a0other specialities\u00a0including antique samplers and embroideries<\/p>\n

Majolica International Society<\/span><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Relish the outstanding\u00a0Karmason Library of Victorian Majolica objects, membership, conventions, book lists, newsletters\u00a0and much\u00a0more<\/p>\n

You will love this…<\/p>\n

First<\/strong>, technical information on lead glaze<\/p>\n

Second<\/b>, a brief history\u00a0of how lead glazes developed<\/p>\n

Third<\/b>,\u00a0a\u00a0comparison of\u00a0the two most important glazes, lead and tin<\/p>\n

Fourth<\/strong>, important, authoritative\u00a0sources for reference<\/p>\n

Lead Glaze technical information<\/h2>\n

All\u00a0lead glazes<\/strong> are<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. A mix of silicates<\/strong> (sand or flint that is to become glass) + potash<\/strong> (or similar alkali flux to get the sand to melt at a manageable temperature) + lead oxide<\/strong> (enables the glass mixture to fuse to the clay ‘biscuit’ body and\u00a0also\u00a0raises the viscosity improving coverage)<\/li>\n
  2. Vibrant and\u00a0translucent <\/strong>in\u00a0appearance\u00a0 due to\u00a0their high\u00a0refractive index<\/li>\n
  3. Fired (baked)\u00a0at fairly high temperature (800 degrees Centigrade), high enough to fuse the lead glazes (glass mixture)\u00a0to the biscuit, producing, literally, a lead-glass <\/strong>layer\u00a0fused to the clay body beneath.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \"Lead-glaze<\/a>
    Lead-glaze earthenware glaze miss showing buff biscuit ‘block-painted’ with colored lead glazes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Is there an easy\u00a0way of recognising glazing by\u00a0colored lead glazes?\u00a0Yes, if there is\u00a0an area deliberately left unglazed or\u00a0if there is\u00a0a glaze miss as illustrated in the picture on the left.<\/p>\n

    If you find one you will clearly see the colored glazes are applied\u00a0on top of\u00a0the unglazed buff\u00a0body (‘biscuit’).<\/p>\n

    How Lead Glazes developed<\/h1>\n

    Two thousand or so years after they were first discovered, lead glazes\u00a0reached perfection at the\u00a0Mintons factory\u00a0in England 1850 to 1880. The\u00a0technical\u00a0genius responsible\u00a0was\u00a0Leon Arnoux. He\u00a0formulated\u00a0new glazes\u00a0and designed a new downdraught kiln for temperature control and fuel (coal) efficiency. He\u00a0would be known later\u00a0as ‘the man who\u00a0made Mintons’.\u00a0His colored\u00a0majolica lead glazes were imitated or copied world wide. Victorian Majolica took a few\u00a0years to get going but\u00a0went on to become a commercial sensation.<\/p>\n

    So where did it all begin? Definitely not in Majorca!<\/p>\n

    CIRCA 100AD Roman<\/h2>\n

    Lead-glaze on clay pots to solve the problem of porosity has been found throughout the Roman Empire which extended from North Africa to the north of England.<\/p>\n

    CIRCA 700AD Sancai<\/h2>\n

    The Chinese made lead-glazed figures as well as pots. Wow. This masterpiece\u00a0pre-dates\u00a0Bernard Palissy\u00a0by 800 years.<\/p>\n

    \"Lead<\/a>
    Circa 700AD lead glaze earthenware. Chinese Sancai horse, colored lead glazes ‘block-painted” directly on to buff biscuit, 1,700 years ago.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    This is a\u00a0Tang dynasty circa 700AD <\/strong>lead-glazed ‘Sancai’<\/strong> horse, 27ins high. Sancai means ‘three colors’.<\/p>\n

    The ‘biscuit’ is painted with ‘solid’ colored lead glazes\u00a0and fired. Note the green glaze color run. Note the way the potter has used the natural buff biscuit color covered with plain lead glaze as part of the decoration.<\/p>\n

    What came next?<\/p>\n

    Circa 1300 Marzacotto<\/h2>\n

    Glaze technology is as much art as science.\u00a0Advances come\u00a0with\u00a0trial and error.\u00a0 By circa 1300<\/strong>\u00a0we are seeing ‘Marzacotto’<\/strong> in Italy and throughout Europe.<\/p>\n

    \"Earthenware<\/a>
    Earthenware body covered with white slip, incised decoration and painted with coloured lead glaze decoration. Courtesy of V and A who date this circa 1490<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    The big difference here was the use of ‘slip’ and a new color or two.<\/p>\n

    C Fortnum Drury, writing in 1875, quotes Passieri, the earliest known\u00a0author on the technology of ceramics<\/p>\n

    “…it was about the year 1300 that the method of covering the clay with a ” slip ” or ” engobe ” of white earth, or the coarser earth of Verona, was first adopted. Slightly baked, it was glazed with ” marzacotto ” (oxide of lead and glass), applied wet and again fired ; and this glaze\u00a0was variously coloured yellow, green, black, and blue, by iron, copper, manganese, and cobalt. “<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    He\u00a0is saying\u00a0the biscuit body\u00a0was covered with slip, slightly baked, then applied with wet, colored, lead glazes (silicates + lead oxide) and again fired. Colors were the oxides of iron for yellow, of copper for green, of manganese for black and of cobalt for blue.<\/p>\n

    Circa 1550 Palissy<\/h2>\n

    Circa 1550<\/strong> we\u00a0meet Bernard Palissy, the father of\u00a0French ceramics.<\/p>\n

    \"Statue<\/a>
    Statue of Bernard Palissy on a colonnade\u00a0of the Musee Louvre in Paris<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Here he is. Holding one of his vases. Many of the pieces formerly believed to be his own work are now attributed to followers.<\/p>\n

    We love him best\u00a0for his ‘Rustic wares’<\/strong> (Rustic Figulines). Take a look at this entry on the Louvre Museum website\u00a0for more info and\u00a0for\u00a0one of his Rustic ware platters<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

    The ‘Rustic’ ware is\u00a0ultra-naturalistic, entirely unique at this time.\u00a0In addition he succeeded, after great hardship to himself and his family,\u00a0in developing formulae for coloured lead glazes that worked. Requiring high temperature firing (baking)\u00a0to achieve ‘fusing’ there is probably truth in the colorful\u00a0legends of\u00a0furniture burning and ridicule. All’s well that ends well however, as he succeeded in his endeavours and came to enjoy the patronage and protection including that\u00a0of the Medici family.<\/p>\n

    A little before Palissy’s time, the secret of adding tin to lead glaze\u00a0to produce opaque white\u00a0tin<\/em> glaze had reached the Western world via\u00a0 the island of Majorca in<\/span> Moorish Spain\u00a0(Moorish – most of\u00a0Spain was\u00a0Muslim for about 700 years until around 1492).<\/p>\n

    Circa 1760 onwards – Development of Lead Glazes in England<\/h2>\n
    \"GlazesLeadCreamwarePlaque1760\"<\/a>
    Plaque circa 1760, green, brown, and plain (‘pearl’) glazes applied directly to a creamware body.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Circa 1760<\/strong>\u00a0 English potters develop existing\u00a0lead glazes. Author Pat Halfpenny defines ‘Coloured glazed figures’ as ‘biscuit’ painted with\u00a0colored lead glazes then high temperature fired.<\/p>\n

    The detail below the plaque on the left illustrates\u00a0the \u00a0‘intaglio’ effect of viscous glaze on a surface molded in relief.<\/p>\n

    \"Circa<\/a>
    Circa 1765 Whieldon ‘cauliflower’ teapot. Colored lead glazes applied direct to the ‘biscuit’<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Circa 1765<\/b>\u00a0 Greatbach, Wedgwood and Whieldon are successful with ‘Cauliflower ware’ – body (‘biscuit’) painted with yellow and green colored lead glazes then high temperature\u00a0fired.<\/p>\n

    \"Circa<\/a>
    Circa 1770 figure made in Yorkshire. Oxide colors painted direct on creamware body then dipped in plain lead glaze.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Circa 1770<\/b>\u00a0 sees\u00a0a profusion\u00a0of\u00a0 ‘underglaze painted figures’\u00a0also known as ‘Prattware’\u00a0\u00a0by figure makers in England.\u00a0The lead glaze goes on top.\u00a0The ‘biscuit’ is painted with oxide colors, then dipped\/covered in plain (‘pearl’) lead glaze, then high temperature fired.<\/p>\n

    \"Circa<\/a>
    Circa 1780. Lead glaze underneath.\u00a0‘Enamel painted figure’ of a performing lion.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Circa 1780 \u00a0<\/strong>‘Enamel painted figures’ were appearing. Lead glaze underneath, colours on top. The method here was for the ‘biscuit’ to be dipped in plain (‘pearl’) lead glaze, high temperature fired, then painted with\u00a0oxide colors, then fired again at lower temperature, then painted with gilt decoration before a final firing at even lower temperature.<\/p>\n

    \"Circa<\/a>
    Circa 1830 Brameld platter. Lead glaze colored green with copper oxide. No other decoration.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    By circa 1830<\/strong> ‘green ware’ dessert services were being marketed\u00a0by Wedgwood, Brameld (ceased trading in 1843) and others. The relief molded\u00a0‘biscuit’ was dipped in green colored\u00a0lead glaze, then high temperature\u00a0fired.\u00a0 ‘Green ware’ made\u00a0best advantage\u00a0of the\u00a0‘pooling’ properties of green glaze producing\u00a0an attractive\u00a0‘intaglio effect’.<\/p>\n

    Leaf molded dessert services proved hugely\u00a0popular, imitated by many potteries especially in England and France.<\/p>\n

    Circa 1850\u00a0–\u00a0Majolica Perfection<\/strong><\/h1>\n

    (majolica, also\u00a0known as maiolica, also known as\u00a0majolica pottery, victorian majolica, antique majolica, antique majolica pottery or\u00a0vintage majolica)<\/p>\n

    \"Minton<\/a>
    Minton Majolica jardini\u00e8re circa 1873.\u00a0Note the use of\u00a0not only colored, but also\u00a0plain lead glazes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Arnoux develops a range of lead glazes creating the product Mintons called ‘Palissy ware<\/strong>‘. The public knew it only as ‘majolica<\/strong>‘. Today it is generally known as ‘Victorian<\/strong> Majolica<\/strong>‘. First made by Minton, thereafter copied throughout Europe and USA.<\/p>\n

    French Majolica<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

    German Majolica<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

    Minton Majolica<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

    George Jones Majolica<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

    Wedgwood Majolica<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

    Minton’s showing of his ‘Palissy<\/strong> ware<\/strong>‘ in 1851 at the\u00a0Great Exhibition introduced the\u00a0world\u00a0to the\u00a0stunning new coloured\u00a0lead glazes of Leon Arnoux.\u00a0These were\u00a0applied\u00a0direct\u00a0to the biscuit body. They were\u00a0formulated to fire simultaneously at high temperature just once,\u00a0without the colours\u00a0running. What an achievement!<\/p>\n

    \"Circa<\/a>
    Circa 1862 Minton Majolica (‘Palissy ware’) Hercules Ewer decorated entirely with lead glazes. Artist Pierre-Emile Jeannest.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Finally,\u00a0a triumph in lead-glaze technology,\u00a0a one-off Minton exhibition piece with painted panels, 28 inches tall,\u00a0designed above all\u00a0else\u00a0to impress.<\/p>\n

    The painter is Emile Jeannest. The vibrant colored lead glazes above and below are what we expect.<\/p>\n

    \"Minton<\/a><\/p>\n

    The centre section however, while it\u00a0might look like an opaque white\u00a0tin-glaze panel with brush work on top in oxide enamels, is not<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    The panels\u00a0consist in fact of\u00a0colored lead glazes painted very finely and painstakingly\u00a0direct onto the biscuit. A final\u00a0lead glaze covering was added before final firing.<\/p>\n

    Future Blog Footnote: Once in a while a\u00a0lead-glazed Victorian Majolica object can be found with a tin-glazed panel or section. Rare,\u00a0therefore interesting, these objects\u00a0will be the subject of a future blog.<\/p>\n

    A comparison – lead glaze\u00a0cf. tin glaze<\/h1>\n

    Most writers and all dictionaries have been woefully vague regarding the distinctive composition and\u00a0qualities\u00a0of lead-glazed pottery vs. tin-glazed pottery. In\u00a0a quest for clarity\u00a0with regard to\u00a0materials and processes\u00a0we have, for some years, been researching original sources.<\/p>\n

    So what is the difference, and why does it matter?<\/b><\/h2>\n

    The growing merchant classes of Victorian England, the ‘new money’, were attracted not only by the exciting new styles developing at the same time as coloured-lead-glaze majolica, but also by the relatively low cost and durability\/usability.<\/p>\n

    Clarity. Craft. Accuracy.<\/b><\/h2>\n

    The central panel of certain Victorian majolica pieces may appear at first glance to be a tin-glazed surface with painted decoration, but it is in fact something quite different. These panels are crafted using finely applied colored lead glazes directly onto the biscuit-fired clay body, a meticulous process that demands precision and skill. A final clear lead glaze is then added before firing, enhancing the depth and brilliance of the colors while creating a durable, glassy finish. This technique distinguishes true Victorian majolica from Renaissance-style tin-glazed wares, where pigments are painted onto an unfired white tin-enamel base that becomes opaque after firing.<\/p>\n

    Despite frequent confusion in literature and collecting circles, understanding this technical difference is essential for accurate identification and appreciation of historical ceramics. Just as clarity in materials and methods enriches our understanding of antique pottery, individuals managing health conditions benefit from trusted information about<\/a> Strattera Generic therapy to make informed choices in consultation with healthcare providers.<\/p>\n

    Difference in Materials – Tin glaze is lead glaze with added TIN<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Circa 1460 knowledge of the tin-glaze method reached\u00a0Italy.\u00a0With a suitable\u00a0white surface on which to paint, the invention and beauty of hand painted Italian Renaissance tin-glazed maiolica became legend. Minton so admired these creations that he determined, with the help of Arnoux, to reproduce as far as possible both the method and style.<\/p>\n

    \"Minton<\/a>
    Rare Minton\u00a0tin-glazed ‘majolica’ plate, circa 1860<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Tin glaze is lead glaze with added tin oxide. The tin oxide scatters light, creating\u00a0opacity, making the glaze appear white\/whitish in colour. Launched in 1851 at the Great Exhibition Minton\u00a0gave his tin glaze imitation Italian maiolica, pictured above, the name of ‘majolica’. Awkward.<\/p>\n

    Cost of Production – Lead-glazed has one less process<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Tin-glazed<\/strong> earthenware is biscuit body, typically flat surface, dipped or coated\u00a0with tin glaze and allowed to dry, unfired. It is then finely painted, freehand, which requires high skill and more time – so more expense<\/em>. The\u00a0brushwork\u00a0is applied to the dry unfired\u00a0tin-glaze. Then it is\u00a0fired.\u00a0 Lead-glazed<\/strong> earthenware is typically modeled in relief, and colored with translucent, vibrant lead glazes. The glazes are applied directly to the\u00a0biscuit body, simultaneously, then fired. One less process, the ‘dipping’, means less cost. <\/em><\/p>\n

    \"Minton<\/a>
    Minton Majolica lead-glazed platter circa 1860. In the classical style\u00a0with a\u00a0Juno, Neptune, Mercury and Selene surround each of them\u00a0accompanied by\u00a0their symbols.\u00a0Pattern number ‘367’<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Detail pics\u00a0of this Neptune\u00a0platter\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

    Note the intense vibrant\u00a0‘block-painted’ colors of\u00a0Minton’s\u00a0lead glazes. The figures are of plain lead glaze, no colour.<\/p>\n

    Depth and strength of color contributed greatly to the success of majolica.<\/p>\n

    Note also the absence of the freehand painting on the Neptune platter, so characteristic of\u00a0tin-glaze earthenware.<\/p>\n

    Durability – Lead glaze is more durable<\/b><\/p>\n

    Tin glaze was less durable than lead<\/strong> glaze so less suitable for heavy domestic or outdoor use.\"GlazesTinItalianDamageAndNameMajolica\"<\/p>\n

    [So few examples are known, we cannot be sure this generalisation applies to Minton’s English tin-glazed ware. Ed.]<\/em><\/p>\n

    A gorgeous example of 15th century Italian\u00a0tin glaze maiolica\u00a0is in the Metropolitan Museum.<\/p>\n

    Note the\u00a0flaking.<\/p>\n

    Note also the overall coverage of the\u00a0‘dipped’ opaque white tin glaze.<\/p>\n

    Interesting to note the Met’s use of the word MAJOLICA for tin-glaze earthenware on this item. [Most Met.\u00a0tin-glazed items have now been changed to MAIOLICA\u00a0. Ed., Jan 2017.] <\/em>The word\u00a0MAJOLICA with a\u00a0‘J’ was historically used in England for tin-glaze maiolica earthenware until 1875. Since 1875\u00a0however\u00a0the use of the\u00a0word\u00a0MAIOLICA with an\u00a0‘I’ for\u00a0tin glaze earthenware only has been encouraged<\/a>.\u00a0 Likewise the use of the\u00a0word MAJOLICA with a ‘J’ for lead glaze earthenware only.\u00a0 -This seems like good common sense<\/strong><\/p>\n

    ‘Maiolica’ for Italian tin-glazed earthenware.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    ‘Tin-glazed’ or ‘Delft’ or ‘Faience’ or ‘T<\/strong>in-glaze Majolica’ for Minton’s rare product’<\/strong><\/p>\n

    ‘Majolica’ for earthenware decorated with coloured lead glazes direct onto the biscuit.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    ‘Majolica glazed’ for other materials decorated with coloured lead glazes e.g. majolica glazed parian ware.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \"Dutch<\/a>
    Dutch Delft ware circa 1700. French faience and Dutch delftware and English delftware were all\u00a0developments of Italian tin-glaze maiolica\u00a0– painted decoration on opaque white tin-glazed earthenware.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    French faience and Dutch and English delftware were developments of Italian tin-glazed maiolica.<\/p>\n

    Like all tin glaze earthenware, delftware is\u00a0clay biscuit body covered with glaze mix of\u00a0silicates and potash, lead oxide\u00a0and TIN OXIDE, the tin\u00a0producing the highly\u00a0suitable opaque white surface upon which fine brushwork decoration in metallic oxide colours can be painted freehand.<\/p>\n

    Online\u00a0Sources<\/em><\/h1>\n

    Encyclopaedia Britannica<\/a>\u00a0on pottery, glazes and enamels<\/p>\n

    Wikipedia<\/a> on tin-glaze<\/p>\n

    C Fortnum Drury, 1875<\/a> on Italian tin-glaze maiolica<\/p>\n

    Leon Arnoux, 1877<\/a> on Pottery and Palissy<\/p>\n

    Paul Atterbury<\/a> entries on MAIOLICA and MAJOLICA\u00a0are\u00a0comprehensive<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Madelena Antiques\u00a0 Buy, sell and discover lead glaze majolica, Staffordshire figures,\u00a0Moorcroft,\u00a0Wedgwood lustre\u00a0and\u00a0other specialities\u00a0including antique samplers and embroideries Majolica International Society\u00a0\u00a0Relish the outstanding\u00a0Karmason Library of Victorian Majolica objects, membership, conventions, book lists, newsletters\u00a0and much\u00a0more You will love this… First, technical information on lead glaze Second, a brief history\u00a0of how lead glazes developed Third,\u00a0a\u00a0comparison of\u00a0the two most […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1427,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[29,23,22,36],"class_list":["post-1396","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-majolica","tag-antique","tag-majolica-2","tag-online","tag-palissy-2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/madelena.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1396","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/madelena.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/madelena.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madelena.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madelena.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1396"}],"version-history":[{"count":73,"href":"https:\/\/madelena.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1396\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3316,"href":"https:\/\/madelena.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1396\/revisions\/3316"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madelena.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1427"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/madelena.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1396"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madelena.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1396"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madelena.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1396"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}