vince pitelka on tue 26 sep 00
> I attended a workshop that I thought was for majolica and it turned out to
> be for maiolica. I never did grasp the difference. Could someone please
> explain to me the difference in these two methods ? Thanks Rhonda Oldland
> surfside beach s.c.
Rhonda -
It seems that I always ruffle a few feathers when I quibble over semantics,
but hell, you asked. If you are referring to the method used in Italian
Renaissance wares, where a white opacified glaze (traditionally opacified
with tin, now often with zircon opacifier) is decorated over the raw glaze
with oxide stains, then the correct term is Maiolica. The word itself is
the Italian derivation of Mallorca (pronounced Myorca), the island off the
east coast of Spain, which was a trading center, by which the
Hispano-Moresque tin-glaze technique travelled to Italy. So, as you can
see, there is no way that a "J" belongs in there.
For reasons I have never understood, at some point the English appropriated
the word, changed its spelling to "majolica" and applied it to a wide
variety of Baroque-era brightly-colored low-fired wares resembling all sorts
of fruits, vegetables, barnyard animals, etc. It is really wonderful stuff,
showing a quirky sense of humor, and is especially remarkable when you
compare it with some of the god-awful aristocratic Rococo crap being created
at the time by Sevres, Meissen, Dresden, Limoges, Frankenthal, etc.
So that's my SHORT spiel on why MAIOLICA is the correct spelling of the
word. But I may be fighting a loosing battle. That hasn't stopped me yet .
.. . . .
Best wishes -
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Home - vpitelka@dekalb.net
615/597-5376
Work - wpitelka@tntech.edu
615/597-6801 ext. 111, fax 615/597-6803
Appalachian Center for Crafts
Tennessee Technological University
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
http://www.craftcenter.tntech.edu/
vince pitelka on wed 27 sep 00
> However, your saying Majorca is to be properly spelled Mallorca is a new
one
> for me. Yes, either of them could be pronounced ma-yor'-ka, but my atlas
> does spell it the first way. So which was the original?
Cindy
I never said that. I was referring only to the ceramic term. I have seen
the island spelled Majorca and Mallorca. Both are correct, and in both
casses the "j" or "ll" is pronounced like a "y", so it makes perfect sense
that the Italians would spell it phonetically as "maiolica."
> Or do we just change these things for our convenience, and because we're
> tired of hearing people mispronounce them? I have to admit that I was glad
> to see maiolica because the pronunciation ma-jol'-i-ka did kind of grate
on
> my nerves. I asked the owners of the ceramic shop in town, "How is that
> supposed to be pronounced?", mainly to see if it would make them think.
They
> told me, authoritatively, "Ma-JOL'-i-ka".
Yes, it is hard to deal the issue, with so many people pronouncing it
incorrectly.
Best wishes -
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Home - vpitelka@dekalb.net
615/597-5376
Work - wpitelka@tntech.edu
615/597-6801 ext. 111, fax 615/597-6803
Appalachian Center for Crafts
Tennessee Technological University
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
http://www.craftcenter.tntech.edu/
Janet Kaiser on wed 27 sep 00
Vince P. wrote:
> For reasons I have never understood, at some
point the English appropriated the word, changed
its spelling to "majolica" <
Are you entirely sure it was those naughty
English, Vince? Most messing around with
standard spelling seems to have been done by a
certain Mr. Webster... :-)
Seriously though, the treble vowel sequence of
"maiolica" is a serious difficulty for most
Anglo-Saxons. I suspect the "j" made it easier
to at least guess how it would be pronounced
correctly. Gives it a recognisable syllable not
immediately apparent to the linguistically
challenged. Ma-yol-i-ka
The French and Germans ducked out by calling it
faïence (in case it doesn't work ï = i with two
dots) and Fayence respectively.
The place-name Majorca in English is known as
Mallorca... No "i" or "j" in sight. So really,
where does the "i" come from in maiolica??
Perhaps the Italians got it wrong to start with?
Following your theory, it should be "mallorica".
Munich in English is München in German... Or
Cologne = Köln, but both derived from the Latin
Colonia. Roma = Rome = Rom. So it goes on.
Depends a lot on pronunciation of the letters in
the language they are in. Spelling of Rom (in
German) is pronounced Rome, just written
differently.
Place-names do change. They are adapted from
country to country, in and out of other
languages in the Old World. Nothing inexplicable
about it.
Just wait until the U.S. are nearing 3,000 years
old... When maybe the south and west is Spanish
speaking and only small pockets of English are
found in the east, before reaching the French
speaking north and Canada, with possibly Russian
speaking Alaska... Or maybe the whole world will
be speaking Chinese by then and there won't be a
problem!
Janet Kaiser
The Chapel of Art . Capel Celfyddyd
HOME OF THE INTERNATIONAL POTTERS' PATH
Criccieth LL52 0EA, GB-Wales Tel: (01766) 523570
E-mail: postbox@the-coa.org.uk
WEBSITE: http://www.the-coa.org.uk
Cindy Strnad on wed 27 sep 00
Okay, Vince.
Now I'm confused. I've never seen the spelling, Mallorca, for Majorca--the
island off the east coast of Spain you mention. I've never studied the
origin of Majolica, except to read your posts, but I assumed, because of the
spelling, that it did have something to do with Majorca. The j is pronounced
like a y, which makes sense. I was taught to pronounce it as a h in Spanish
class, but we were studying South American and Caribbean Spanish, so a small
difference like that didn't surprise me.
However, your saying Majorca is to be properly spelled Mallorca is a new one
for me. Yes, either of them could be pronounced ma-yor'-ka, but my atlas
does spell it the first way. So which was the original?
Or do we just change these things for our convenience, and because we're
tired of hearing people mispronounce them? I have to admit that I was glad
to see maiolica because the pronunciation ma-jol'-i-ka did kind of grate on
my nerves. I asked the owners of the ceramic shop in town, "How is that
supposed to be pronounced?", mainly to see if it would make them think. They
told me, authoritatively, "Ma-JOL'-i-ka".
Cindy Strnad
Earthen Vessels Pottery
RR 1, Box 51
Custer, SD 57730
USA
earthenv@gwtc.net
www.earthenvesselssd.com
Snail Scott on wed 27 sep 00
At 08:31 PM 9/26/00 -0500, you wrote:
>> I attended a workshop that I thought was for majolica and it turned out to
>> be for maiolica. I never did grasp the difference...
....then the correct term is Maiolica. The word itself is
>the Italian derivation of Mallorca (pronounced Myorca), the island off the
>east coast of Spain, which was a trading center, by which the
>Hispano-Moresque tin-glaze technique travelled to Italy. So, as you can
>see, there is no way that a "J" belongs in there.
To respond to Vince's comment about spelling: The island is also spelled
Majorca, especially in English-speaking countries, hence the 'j'.
It ain't wrong, either way.
-Snail
vince pitelka on thu 28 sep 00
> The place-name Majorca in English is known as
> Mallorca... No "i" or "j" in sight. So really,
> where does the "i" come from in maiolica??
> Perhaps the Italians got it wrong to start with?
> Following your theory, it should be "mallorica".
OK, Janet, this is getting a little silly. When the word "maiolica" was
derived, very few people could write. The Italians traders came up with a
spoken version of Mallorca (or Majorca) which sounded like "maiolica." Next
time you see an Italian who speaks very little English, get her or him to
repeat the word "Mallorca." Guess what will come out.
When the time came that Italians scribes or monks had to write the term
down, whenever that was, they did so phonetically based on the spoken
pronounciation, thus "maiolica."
OK?
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Home - vpitelka@dekalb.net
615/597-5376
Work - wpitelka@tntech.edu
615/597-6801 ext. 111, fax 615/597-6803
Appalachian Center for Crafts
Tennessee Technological University
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
http://www.craftcenter.tntech.edu/
Rhonda Oldland on fri 29 sep 00
You are funny Vince !!!
Ever notice how wonderful birds look with their tail feathers ruffled
?(keep ruffling)
Tin was in the formula instead of lead that would explain the "I" instead
of the "J" but not the English.
Yep, lots and lots of fruit .
We used mason stains in a glaze formula and low fired clay.
I guess it's time to go to the library ! Thanks for the starting point.
Rhonda
At 20:31 9/26/00 -0500, you wrote:
>> I attended a workshop that I thought was for majolica and it turned out to
>> be for maiolica. I never did grasp the difference. Could someone please
>> explain to me the difference in these two methods ? Thanks Rhonda Oldland
>> surfside beach s.c.
>
>Rhonda -
>It seems that I always ruffle a few feathers when I quibble over semantics,
>but hell, you asked. If you are referring to the method used in Italian
>Renaissance wares, where a white opacified glaze (traditionally opacified
>with tin, now often with zircon opacifier) is decorated over the raw glaze
>with oxide stains, then the correct term is Maiolica. The word itself is
>the Italian derivation of Mallorca (pronounced Myorca), the island off the
>east coast of Spain, which was a trading center, by which the
>Hispano-Moresque tin-glaze technique travelled to Italy. So, as you can
>see, there is no way that a "J" belongs in there.
>
>For reasons I have never understood, at some point the English appropriated
>the word, changed its spelling to "majolica" and applied it to a wide
>variety of Baroque-era brightly-colored low-fired wares resembling all sorts
>of fruits, vegetables, barnyard animals, etc. It is really wonderful stuff,
>showing a quirky sense of humor, and is especially remarkable when you
>compare it with some of the god-awful aristocratic Rococo crap being created
>at the time by Sevres, Meissen, Dresden, Limoges, Frankenthal, etc.
>
>So that's my SHORT spiel on why MAIOLICA is the correct spelling of the
>word. But I may be fighting a loosing battle. That hasn't stopped me yet .
>. . . .
>Best wishes -
>- Vince
>
>Vince Pitelka
>Home - vpitelka@dekalb.net
>615/597-5376
>Work - wpitelka@tntech.edu
>615/597-6801 ext. 111, fax 615/597-6803
>Appalachian Center for Crafts
>Tennessee Technological University
>1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
>http://www.craftcenter.tntech.edu/
>
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Janet Kaiser on fri 29 sep 00
Ann
I can recommend the classic "World Ceramics"
edited by Robert J. Charleston. Talking to Vince
in such detail made me go and get it out
yesterday, to make sure I was not getting stuff
confused or plain wrong. It has been a long time
since I did a comparative history of European
ceramics and memory can play tricks...
It has also been a long time since I talked to
anyone about tin-glaze, because it is sadly out
of fashion here. The demise coincides with the
prohibition of lead in glazes... Very few people
are using the old techniques with new materials.
Indeed, all earthenware has taken a back seat in
the face of stoneware, porcelain and the "new"
mixes like T-material.
So I am glad to hear you are taking an interest
in making the new generation of work! It will
save mayolica (pour la belle Francoise M.)
becoming a mere subject of academic debate. LONG
LIVE M.....!!!
"World Ceramics" has a great section on
Tin-glaze and Maiolica... My edition was
published 1968 by Hamlyn, ISBN 0 600 03949 8
I hope to get "900 Years of Pottery" by Emmanuel
Cooper for my birthday. I will let you know if
he has anything to add.
Janet Kaiser
The Chapel of Art . Capel Celfyddyd
HOME OF THE INTERNATIONAL POTTERS' PATH
Criccieth LL52 0EA, GB-Wales Tel: (01766) 523570
E-mail: postbox@the-coa.org.uk
WEBSITE: http://www.the-coa.org.uk
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