Type Name:

PISANO-STYLE TILE

Category:

MAJOLICA

Production Origin:

SPAIN

Production Date Range:

1575-present

Defining Attributes:

Compact, buff to cream colored paste.

Smooth, flat surface with white to off-white background enamel.

Hand-painted designs in blue, yellow, orange and green, often outlined in manganese or dark brown.

Design motifs are usually naturalistic, primarily floral, but can also be geometric, anthropomorphic or scenic.

Vessel Forms:

TILE

Comments:

Pisano-style tiles served primarily as wall decoration. They were produced in Seville in imitation of Italian wares by the early sixteenth century, and mark a shift from the Morisco (Christianized Moorish) Cuenca tile tradition to an Italian-influenced tradition. They do not appear in American sites until the last quarter of the 16th century. Pisano-style tiles average 12.75 centimeters per side and 1.6 to 1.9 centimeters in thickness.

Published Definitions:

Deagan 1987; Goggin 1968