The Majolica Production Process

All the tiles used by Tuscan Designs, and all our ceramics, are completely hand-painted by artists in Tuscany and Umbria. The artists produce many different pieces, including vases, plates, bowls, mugs, serving platters, etc. All of their work belongs to a category of ceramics called Majolica.

The shape of the object is created by throwing the clay on a potters wheel, using plaster casts to act as molds, or by hand molding.

The object is then dried slowly at room temperature over a period of several days to a couple of weeks. It is then fired in a kiln for the first time at a temperature of around 1000 degrees C. The firing takes about a day. After the kiln is cooled, the objects are removed. This is called bisque firing.

The bisque item is then dipped in a glaze to form the base under-color for the eventual design. This is usually a white or off-white glaze.

The hand-painted design is then applied over the base glaze. The decorating colors are produced by mixing ground minerals with water. The colors are applied to the piece using many different paint brushes from very fine to wide, depending on the level of detail and intricacy of the design. When dry these colors are soft hues, which are very different from the brighter colors once the piece is fired again for the final time. In some instances, typically with more complex patterns, a pounce is used with the design that has first been drawn on waxed paper. Using pins and the pounce, which is filled with a charcoal-like substance, an outline of the design is transferred onto the surface of the piece. The outline is then used by the artist to produce the final design. Some artists, however, will work completely free-hand even for the most complex designs, rather than use the pounce technique.

When the design is fully painted, it is sprayed with a glass paste called “crystalline glaze”. This gives the final piece a smooth, glossy and impermeable surface.

Finally, the piece is fired for a second time, at a lower temperature of about 940 degrees C. During this firing the crystalline glaze becomes transparent and glossy, thus bringing out the brilliant colors of the design itself.