History of Ceramics in Tuscany

The Montelupo majolica - 1

From archaic majolica to “zaffera a rilievo”

The kilns at Montelupo had already begun to make the first archaic majolica, decorated with copper flake and manganese, already towards the end of the 13th century, and developed this craft further during the following century.
In the last couple of decades of the 14th century, Montelupo was one of the most active centres in the technological revival of majolica styles in the Florentine area, thanks to the introduction of new whiter clay mixtures which made for a better glazing of the biscuit ware.
At the same time the old greenbrown two-colour tradition became outdated and there was a very strong tendency to use cobalt blue, adding also the lead oxide pigment which, when it melted during firing, formed a raised layer on the glazed surface (“zaffera a rilievo”).

The development of the Renaissance style: top quality in the Montelupo production

The contemporary development of ceramic production in the Spanish Levante, and in particular in Manises, forced potters in the Valdarno into strong competition with the fantastic Iberian repertoire which relied on the use of metal lustre and leaned on the great traditional Islamic-Christian Gothic-Mudéjar decorative motifs. In the years between 1410-70, not only did this collection of motifs penetrate into the pictorial repertoire of Montelupo, but also the tendency to use abundant decoration, a style of Islamic origin, known as “damaschino” (damask).

Already in the second half of the 14th century, there is evidence of a good level of achievement in production, in records of the first wave of migration by potters from Montelupo. This phenomenon became more consistent in the following two centuries, involving not only Florence and nearby towns (San Casciano in Val di Pesa), but also Pisa, Siena and Rome, a city which, as well as being the most important market, became the favoured destination of emigration from the Valdarno in the 16th century.
The period of major expansion in the production of majolica in Montelupo is between the 15th and 16th centuries. This is also the period of its best quality. This stage of growth which was shared by all the local workshops and distinguished by the first Renaissance style, was also the era when there was a massive flow of Florentine merchant capital, recorded in a deed signed by a notary in September 1490, in which Francesco Antinori undertakes to buy for three years, for an agreed price, the entire production of 23 potters (the so-called “Antinori trust”).

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