European Ceramics before 1603
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Glasgow Museums has a varied collection of European ceramics dating from the 1200s to circa 1600. The collection includes a significant amount of Spanish lustreware, which by 1400 was the very finest pottery in Europe. Created using techniques brought to Islamic Spain by Muslim settlers, the decorative tin-glazed earthenware of Spain was admired throughout Europe. Inspired by imported Spanish goods, Italian workshops, mainly in northern and central Italy, began producing their own highly sophisticated and decorative tin-glazed ceramics, commonly known as ‘maiolica’. Italian production flourished in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries and ultimately surpassed Spain in terms of both quality and output. Glasgow Museums holds an important collection of these Italian wares, including three plates painted by the celebrated ceramicist Francesco Xanto Avelli. Intended for a much wider clientele were the sturdy earthenware and stoneware products of northern European countries such as Germany and England. The collection holds a variety of such pieces from drinking vessels, jugs and bowls to watering pots, money boxes and tiles. From the functional and practical wares of late-medieval northern Europe to the elaborately decorated luxury pieces of Spain and Italy, the collection holds some very fine examples that demonstrate the diversity of the potter’s craft. Several high-quality pieces were obtained directly from the famous Spitzer Collection, auctioned in Paris, 1893. The collection was further strengthened with later additions, most significantly the 1944 donation of Sir William and Lady Burrell.
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