Out on the Tiles: the Magic of Majolica

The Owl
Vol. 2, Issue 12
March 20, 2008
Baltimore, Maryland

Dear Inquiring Traveler,

This week Elise Warner shows us a little corner of Umbria, Italy that would have yielded souvenirs for Grand Tourists—albeit of a fragile nature.

Read on to find out how a technique first used in Majorca made its own tour across Europe to find a home of its own in Deruta.

Sincerely,

Editor, The Owl

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Deruta — Out on the (Majolica) Tiles

by Elise Warner

A walk through Deruta, in the center of Umbria, 12 miles south of Perugia and 90 from Rome soon reveals how the small, medieval hill town made its mark in the world.

This hidden-away place has been known for centuries as a center for fine ceramics—Etruscan and Neolithic fragments dug up in the area testify to the craft’s beginnings when locals took fistfuls of clay from the earth and, with the help of fire, turned it into terra cotta jars, sculptures, pillars, and columns. The first written document in existence mentioning this town dates back to the 13th century when families used plates, jugs, and dishes decorated with copper green and manganese brown colored geometrical patterns.

Tile Town

One of the first things you notice are the decorative tiles adorning the façade of the church of St. Arcangelo and the majolica plates and tiles that enhance modern buildings in the Square of Consoli. And then, of course, there’s the 14th-century former convent of Saint Francis that now serves as the Regional Museum of Ceramics of Deruta. 

The displays here chronicle the development of majolica from the 13th until the early 20th century. One thematic area features relics of floors composed of hand-painted tiles in the shape of stars and crosses, dated from 1524, and used in the Church of San Francesco in Deruta, attributed to an artist known as Maestro del Pavimento (the Floors Master). Another highlights the Renaissance, when artisans crafted gleaming display plates, circled with garlands or arches that framed a central motif such as Saints, fables, and proverbs or blazoned with a coat of arms heralding a noble or a portrait of his lady. 

Majolica, named after Majorca, a Spanish island in the west Mediterranean, is made when earthenware is fired before a tin glaze is added, producing an opaque white that reflects light. A design is painted on the porous surface and the piece is fired again. The process was developed by Babylonians in the Middle East, used by Moorish and Spanish potters in the 12th century, and brought to Italy in the 13th.  

The Latest Glaze

With Deruta’s ceramic tradition already well-established, the new technique was adopted quickly and caught on, soon becoming all the rage. By the 16th century, there were 52 working kilns within the town’s walls. Cities throughout the world knew of Deruta’s majolica and the town’s craftworkers were invited to produce the floorings of the Palazzo del Priori’s chapel and Basilica of S. Pietro in Perugia’s Sacristy.

Today, along the ancient Via Tibernia, workshops and showrooms give visitors access to different stages of production.  Maioliche Originali Deruta, known as MOD, is a family-owned business begun by the parents of Ivan and Grazia Ranocchia. Grazia herself conducts our tour of the factory and showroom, and is a walking encyclopedia of Deruta majolica facts, figures, and anecdotes. She introduces Antonello, a craftsman who begins the demonstration by placing a block of clay on his potter’s wheel. He quickly shapes the clay into a vase—traditional patterns dating back to the 12th century are used to decorate such pieces, as well as patterns designed exclusively for MOD.

Each piece takes from seven days to three months to dry and then rests in a kiln for 24 hours. After first firing it becomes the hard, durable brownish-orange matter we know as terra cotta. The piece is then glazed and dried again before being painted and re-glazed. A spray sets the traditional colors and lustrous finish. 

Majolica Mementos

Travelers on the Grand Tour may well have admired Deruta majolica pieces. The more culturally inclined Tourist would have recognized the Raffaellesco pattern of a dragon as being based on 16th-century frescoes by Raphael in the Vatican Palace. The latest fashion in the 17th-century designs would have been the flowers or an animal surrounded by leaves, and Orvietano, originating from Deruta works created in the 13th and 14th centuries—pieces with these decorations would have found their way back to the traveler’s home. Other traditional patterns continue to be used today, including the Arabesco calligraphic motif.

A state school for ceramic arts and over 200 workshops and showrooms ensure the preservation of Deruta’s time-honored ceramic art. Featured in museums around the world, the town continues to offer the best majolica in Italy.