Majolica gives the bright, painterly look of Italian and Spanish pottery: a soft white ground with blue, yellow, green and copper decoration. It is one of the most rewarding low-fire techniques for a home potter because it fires in small electric kilns and suits red clay. This guide is research-based, built from Digitalfire, Ceramic Arts Network, Linda Arbuckle's published notes, Glendale Community College's majolica primer and maker pages from AMACO and Seattle Pottery Supply. We did not fire these glazes ourselves.
What is majolica glaze?
Digitalfire defines majolica as an Italian Renaissance tradition of "white opaque glazed red earthenware having brightly colored brushwork decoration." Ceramic Arts Network describes the glaze itself as a white, opaque, glossy glaze so viscous that it does not move during firing. That stiffness is the point: color painted on top stays where you put it, and the edges soften only slightly.
The method is simple: dip a bisque pot in the white base, let it dry, paint on colors, then fire once. The difference from underglaze work is that the color goes on the unfired glaze, not on bare clay. Our underglaze vs overglaze guide shows where this sits among the other decorating routes.
Majolica, maiolica, faience and delftware
Glendale Community College traces the first opaque white glazes to 9th century Persian ware, possibly made to imitate Chinese porcelain. Tin-glazed ware reached Italy through Spain and Majorca, which gave it the name; Wikipedia notes it had reached Italy by the mid-15th century. The same tin-glazed earthenware is called maiolica in Italy, faience in France and delftware in the Netherlands and the UK. The English spelling "majolica" appeared once English separated the letters i and j.
There is a second meaning. In 1849 Minton launched "Palissy ware", colored lead glazes painted straight onto biscuit, and showed it at the 1851 Great Exhibition; Victorian collectors call that majolica too. It is a different technique, and its historic lead glazes are one reason antique majolica should not be used for food.
Clay body and firing range
Majolica is an earthenware technique, usually on red terracotta. AMACO's lesson says it works over any low-fire earthenware clay, and the sources fire between cone 05 and 03: AMACO and Glendale at cone 05, Ceramic Arts Network at cone 05 to 04, and Arbuckle's recipes at cone 04 to 03. Cone 05 is about 1,888°F (1,031°C) and cone 03 about 1,987°F (1,086°C) on Orton's chart.
Bisque temperature is where sources differ most. Glendale bisques to cone 05 and a Ceramic Arts Network author to cone 05½ on a slow cycle. Digitalfire shows a piece bisqued at cone 06 that developed vent holes in the glaze and suggests bisquing at cone 04, hotter than the glaze firing, so the clay finishes giving off gas first. If you see pinholes, try a hotter bisque. Our earthenware clay guide and terracotta clay guide cover bodies.
Earthenware stays porous; Digitalfire puts terracotta absorption at 10 percent or more at cone 06 to 04. It recommends a foot ring so the whole pot can be glazed, since bare clay soaks up water over time.
The white base: tin, zircon and commercial bases
Historically the white came from tin oxide. Modern studio glazes often replace part of the tin with zircon, which costs less. Digitalfire reports that 5 percent tin alone was not enough to opacify one cone 04 base, that adding 10 percent zircon fixed it, and that about 4 percent tin with 8 percent zircon should work with fewer crawling problems; it advises against going to 15 percent zircon because it stiffens the melt. Published versions of Linda Arbuckle's widely used base differ slightly: Ceramic Arts Network prints 4 percent tin and 9 percent Zircopax, while CeramicsWeb lists 5 percent tin and 10 percent Zircopax. Either way it is a frit 3124 base.
Dipping matters more than the recipe. Digitalfire says brushed white glazes go on too thin and calls dipping essential, with dips of 10 to 20 seconds compared with 2 to 3 seconds for normal glazes. Glendale uses a 3 to 4 second dip, so dip time depends on how thick your base is mixed. Aim for an even, fairly thick coat with no runs or finger marks.
Seattle Pottery Supply SP101 Majolica Base
Picked because it is a commercial base sold specifically for majolica. Seattle Pottery Supply describes it as "a thick opaque white base great for adding mason stain for color," for bisque ware, with majolica or underglaze decorating colors painted on once it dries.
- Cone: 06 to 04 (firing range on the product page; the description also says cone 06 to 1)
- Application: three brushed layers in alternating directions, or one dip with an optional second
- Opacifier: not published by the maker
- Food-use label: not published by the maker
Pros
- Made for majolica
- Can be tinted with Mason stains
- Brush or dip
Cons
- Sold mainly by one dealer
- No food-use label
- Maker warns extra layers can run
Who should skip it: potters who want a labeled dinnerware-safe base for plates and mugs.
AMACO Teacher's Palette TP-11 Cotton
Picked because AMACO's own Majolica Renaissance lesson uses TP-11 Cotton as the white base, with Teacher's Palette colors painted over it. School Specialty describes it as layerable for majolica-style surfaces.
- Cone: 05
- Application: 2 to 3 even coats, each dry before the next (AMACO lesson)
- Opacity: listed as semi-opaque by School Specialty
- Labels: AP Non-Toxic, lead free and dinnerware safe per dealer listings
Pros
- Dinnerware-safe label
- Mixes with other Teacher's Palette and Teacher's Choice glazes
- Brushable
Cons
- Semi-opaque, so red clay may show through thin spots
- Not a true stiff majolica glaze
Who should skip it: potters after the thick, crisp white of a tin majolica on red clay.
Decorating colors: stains, commercial colors and underglazes
Majolica colors must melt enough to fuse into the white but not so much that they bleed. Digitalfire notes that premixed majolica colors often work well. There are three routes.
Stains or oxides with flux
Arbuckle mixes colorants by volume with Gerstley borate: 1 part copper carbonate or iron to 1 part Gerstley borate, most stains 1 part to 3 or 4 parts, and refractory colors (such as chrome, rutile and some pinks) with 4 parts. A Ceramic Arts Network author fluxes with frit and a little bentonite, sieves lumpy mixes through 60 mesh, and adds a few drops of glycerin or CMC gum to improve brushing. Glendale lists the classic oxide palette: cobalt for blue, copper for aqua green, iron for amber to rust, manganese for purple brown, chrome for bright green, rutile for golden brown. Our planned Mason stains guide covers stain choices.
Commercial colors
AMACO's lesson paints Teacher's Palette glazes over the white base, light and background colors first and dark outlines last, thinning with water for flowing strokes. Older articles name AMACO's GDC majolica decorating colors; we could not find them in current AMACO listings in October 2026, so treat them as possibly discontinued.
Underglazes
Arbuckle's notes say AMACO Velvet underglazes work "right out of the bottle" over the base, though some colors (she names Electric Blue and Pearl Grey) are too refractory. AMACO's lesson uses Velvet V-361 Jet Black for matte outlines.
Picked because it is a stocked, intermixable underglaze that sources name for majolica detail work.
- Cone: 05 to 10
- Use: wet clay, greenware or bisque; over raw majolica base per Arbuckle
- Sizes: 2 oz and pint
Pros
- Wide palette
- Brushes cleanly
- Easy to find
Cons
- Some colors too refractory on a majolica base
- Fires matte where thick
Who should skip it: potters who want glossy, melted color everywhere; use fluxed stains instead.
Step by step: a majolica tile or plate
- Wipe the bisque with a damp sponge to remove dust and grease.
- Dip the piece in the stirred white base for an even coat, or brush 2 to 3 coats if you are using a brushing base. Let it dry until it loses its sheen.
- Sketch the design lightly with a pencil or food coloring diluted in water; both burn off in the firing.
- Paint lighter and background colors first, then darker colors and outlines. Use soft, loaded brushes: Arbuckle suggests hake, Japanese and watercolor brushes, and daggers for stripes.
- Do not go back over strokes. The raw base is powdery and smudges; handle the piece by the foot.
- Optionally, scratch lines through the color and base for sgraffito detail (see our sgraffito guide).
- Fire to the base's stated cone, slowly. A Ceramic Arts Network author fires cone 05 over at least twelve hours to avoid pinholes.
Common majolica problems
| Problem | Likely cause (sources) | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Crawling | Base or color too thick, or heavy overlaps; tin raises surface tension (CAN, Glendale) | Thinner, even coats; fewer layers in corners |
| Pinholes | Rough trimmed surfaces, gas from the body, fast firing (CAN, Digitalfire) | Smooth surfaces, hotter bisque, slower firing |
| Pink tint on white | Chrome in green, teal or black stains reacting with 5% or more tin (CAN, Arbuckle) | Replace part of the tin with zircon, about 1.5 zircon for 1 tin |
| Dark, metallic or matte color | Color applied too thickly (Glendale) | Thinner washes |
| Weak, washed-out color | Color too thin (Glendale) | Another coat, or more stain |
| Bleeding or running color | Base too thick or kiln over-fired (Glendale) | Check cones and dip time |
| Shivering on edges | Sharp or thin edges; poor glaze fit (Glendale, Digitalfire) | Round edges; match glaze to body |
Crazing is the other risk: Digitalfire notes that a thick majolica coat has more power to impose its expansion on the body, so a poor fit crazes or shivers. Our planned glaze crazing page goes deeper.
Food safety and durability
We quote maker labels only. AMACO's TP-11 Cotton is listed as dinnerware safe by its dealers; Seattle Pottery Supply publishes no food-use label for SP101. Even with a labeled base, the stains or oxides you paint on top change the glaze, earthenware stays porous under any chip, and crazed glaze can hold bacteria. Test your own combination, or keep majolica for tiles, platters and decorative pieces. Never use antique majolica for food because of historic lead glazes. See our planned food safe glaze guide.
Safety notes
Mixing a base or fluxed colors from powders means handling silica, frit, tin, zircon and metal oxides. Wear a NIOSH-approved respirator, mix and clean wet, never dry sweep, and read the Safety Data Sheet for every material. Arbuckle warns that some yellow stains and colors contain lead, so check ingredients. Glendale and AMACO fire majolica in electric kilns in oxidation; follow your kiln maker's clearance and ventilation rules.
What you need
Majolica needs a kiln that reaches cone 03 to 05, a red or white earthenware, a white base and a few soft brushes. Small low-fire kilns handle it well; see our small kiln buying guide, and our low fire glaze guide for other glazes at the same cone.
Sources: Digitalfire glossary "Majolica"; Ceramic Arts Network, "The Magic of Majolica/Maiolica" and "The Colorful World of Majolica"; CeramicsWeb, Linda Arbuckle "Majolica and Lowfire Recipes"; Glendale Community College, "Majolica Primer"; Wikipedia, "Majolica"; AMACO lesson plan "Majolica Renaissance"; Seattle Pottery Supply SP101 Majolica Base page; School Specialty and Clay-King listings for AMACO Teacher's Palette TP-11 Cotton; AMACO Velvet Underglaze product data; Ahrefs SERP data for "majolica glaze". Specs checked October 2026.