Mikó Árpád szerk.: Reneissance year 2008 (A Magyar Nemzeti Galéria kiadványai 2008/1)

GABRIELLA BALLA: The Dowry of Beatrice. The Art of Italian Majolica and the Court ot King Matthias Corvinus

Gabriella Ballá The Dowry of Beatrice The Art of Italian Majolica and the Court of King Matthias Corvinus The exhibition in the Museum of Applied Arts presents only one, but a very remarkable section ot the art works associated with King Matthias and Queen Beatrice: the Italian Majolica ceramics. Majolica ware — a luxury industry of the Renaissance age - had its origins in the Middle East. Because it used much more valuable raw materials than everyday lead-glazed pottery, the Majolica process, involving multicoloured tin glazes, was relatively rare and used mainly for the ostentatious products demanded by monarchs and wealthy patrician families. In Italy, many rulers promoted this craft by founding their own Majolica workshops. The founders ot Majolica centres m Tuscany include the greatest art patrons of the age. The Medici family supported potteries in Florence, Cafaggiolo and Monetlupo, and patronised several generations of sculptors from the della Robbia family. Luca or Andrea della Robbia's white or coloured glaze Majolica statues and reliefs are still prized features of several churches in Florence and elsewhere m Tuscany. The della Robbias' work also provides good examples of this technique being used beyond luxury products: Majolica was also prominent in 15th century Renaissance sculpture and architecture. Majolica potters formed the vessels from soft clay on a wheel, and put the objects through the first firing. The white tin glaze adhered very well to the porous pot, and the colours were applied to the white ground. Majolica painting demanded a sure hand with the brush, because the raw tin glaze immediately absorbed the moisture in the paint and mistakes could not be corrected. Very few paints could withstand the temperature of the second tiring, and so they could use only oxides ot manganese (brown, purple, grey, black), copper (green), cobalt (blue), antimony (yellow) and iron (brown). These gave Majolica pottery its characteristic and unique colour scheme. Matthias

1 young bride, Beatrice of Aragon knew and liked these luxury items even before her marriage in 1476. The ambassador from Ferrara, Cesare Valentini, suggested to Queen Beatrice' younger sister Eleonóra that she give presents of Majolica ware to her sister. because she had a particular fondness for it, and regarded it more highly than silverware. Italian Majolica items were also greatly esteemed in the Hungarian royal court, as is borne out by the archaeological finds. Introduction: the Beginnings of Majolica Making The first section ot the exhibition follows the route of the craft of tin-glaze potteiy to Italy. It starts with the beginnings in the Near East, Hispano-Moorish fragments (the term Majolica was originally applied to metalliclustre Spanish-Moorish pottery loaded on to Italian ships in the port of Mallorca), Iberian floor tiles, and continues with the early centres in Italy: the semi-Majolica ware in Orvieto and Florence, and goes on to the major centres Albarello, Dorum (?), c. 1470 Budapest, Iparművészeti Múzeum