Discover the Islamic Ceramic Craftsmanship that Carried the Secret of Lusterware to Spain and Inspired Italian Maiolica

Italian maiolica, with its dazzling colors and intricate designs, is one of the most celebrated forms of Renaissance decorative arts. But the journey that led to the development of this vibrant ceramic tradition began long before it reached the Italian peninsula. Its origins lie in the Islamic world—in particular Iraq, Iran, Mesopotamia, and later across Egypt and Syria. It came to Europe through Spain, where the technique of producing lustrous, metallic-glazed ceramics, known as lusterware, was first perfected. The influence of Spanish lusterware on the later Italian maiolica is undeniable, with the techniques and visual motifs of the former playing a pivotal role in shaping and influencing the Italian style, visible especially during the Renaissance. Together, the two ceramic traditions represent a fascinating exchange of cultures, art forms, and creative technological innovation.

“Lusterware probably reached Spain in the early medieval period with the migration of Muslim artisans, and began to flourish as an art form in the 13th and 14th centuries,” says Diana Luber, Head of the Department of Islamic and Indian Art at Sam Fogg, the London-based gallery specialized in art of the European Middle Ages. “This created major centers of production in Malaga, Valencia, and Manises, where potters began reproducing the complex craft of lusterware ceramics.” This specialized method comprised the use of metal oxide-based glazes known as luster, which produced iridescent finishes that shimmered in the light, explains Luber: “This technique required multiple firings, using different kilns, in particular an oxygen-reducing kiln which allowed the luster oxides to adhere to the ceramic vessel.” Often featuring geometric and floral motifs, these decorative pieces were highly prized for their beauty and their reflective surfaces, “appearing seemingly magical or wondrous beyond comprehension,” adds Luber. Spanish lusterware spread rapidly from the Iberian peninsula across the Mediterranean as a desirable commodity, and by the late 15^th century it exercised influence on ceramic techniques throughout Europe and particularly in Italy. “Muslim potters in cities such as Malaga and later Manises developed their own distinct lusterware styles, but the Islamic sensibility remained present, for example in pseudo-Arabic inscriptions that appear on some vessels as well as the swirling, vegetal motifs and abstract forms that decorate these wares.”

With the start of the 15th century, these ceramic creations were being imported to Italy and purchased by the country’s ruling regional families. “By the 16th century, Italian potters were already experimenting and attempting to reproduce these Spanish innovations, adapting them to their own artistic sensibilities,” explains antiques dealer Camille Leprince, whose gallery focuses on European ceramics. In Italy, the term maiolica began to replace the term lusterware, although the essence of the technique remained very much the same. “The word maiolica refers to tin-glazed earthenware, which was first developed in the Italian region of Tuscany,” denotes Leprince. “The combination of Spanish lusterware’s lustrous glazes and the Italian adaptation of tin-glazing produced a variation of the bright, shiny, and colorful ceramics for which Renaissance maiolica is known today.”

The transition from lusterware to maiolica involved more than just a technical shift—it was an evolution of function and form. In Spain, lusterware had primarily been used for decorative purposes. However, “Italian artisans began to incorporate this shine into a wide range of objects,” explains Leprince, “from pharmacy jars—which were among the earliest uses of maiolica, often commissioned by apothecaries and featuring geometric patterns, floral compositions, and vibrant colors—to decorative ceramic ware that was often adorned with sophisticated humanist iconography to be appreciated by the illustrious minds of courtly noble patrons in their studiolo,” a small lavishly decorated space, present in noble palaces, intended for contemplation.

“The glazes used in early examples of Italian maiolica pieces were deeply influenced by Spanish lusterware techniques,” says Leprince, and both used “cobalt blue, copper green, antimony yellow, and manganese brown varnishes,” adds Luber. In addition to the colored varnishes, the use of silver or copper luster adorned the ceramic creations with a golden or ruby red shine. “It is thought that in the Islamic world, the metallic nature of the luster was associated with the concept of ajab or wonder, because of the awe-inspiring appearance of the shimmering surfaces,” says Luber. Moreover, maiolica ceramic pieces were only completed during a final firing which set a distinguishable high-gloss glaze, known as the coperta: “The coperta gave the ceramics their rich, almost mirror-like shine, making them appear new, even centuries later, a quality that has defined maiolica production for generations,” notes Leprince.

While the influence of Spanish lusterware remained evident, Leprince notes that by the 16th century, “Italian maiolica had developed a unique identity.” During this time, “maiolica evolved into a more refined and intellectually driven art form,” particularly within the workshops of Venice and other Italian centers such as Perugia, Urbino, and Gubbio. The historical, mythological, and philosophical themes popular in Renaissance Italy were depicted on ceramics, “transforming them from mere functional objects to intricate works of art,” says Leprince. The Historiato style “especially prolific in the region of Umbria develops an erudite form of painted narrative ceramics,” Leprince explains, and became a renowned pictorial approach of this period. “Often depicting scenes from classical mythology, historical figures, or the Bible, the adornment of these ceramic pieces required meticulous attention to detail and artistic precision.” However, Venice, as the key production center in Veneto, developed further distinguishable features attributed to the proximity with the Middle and Far East. “Maiolica artisans were working in close proximity to Murano glass blowers, who in turn were being influenced by the patterns they were seeing on imported Chinese porcelain—transiting through the route of the silk trade,” Leprince notes, “resulting in the production of the Venetian region becoming distinguishable and part of a global context which undoubtedly encompasses a cultural crossroad.”

As maiolica’s development continued in Italy, its appeal expanded beyond function to become an object of status and prestige. Families like the Medici in Florence, the Farnese in Rome, and the Montefeltro in Urbino used maiolica in their daily lives and more often to showcase their wealth and intellectual sophistication. Large credenza filled with elaborately painted plates and dishes became a central feature in aristocratic homes, especially in the dining rooms of the noble ruling Italian families. “Noble and other patrons would commission entire services of lusterware to display in their homes,” observes Luber. “These exquisitely conserved ceramic pieces often have a drill hole near the top of the dish, suggesting that they were displayed on the wall, as was the fashion of the time. In Renaissance painting and manuscript illuminations, we often see luster dishes and jugs depicted in collector’s cabinets or in scenes of internal chambers and living spaces, indicating that these were prized works that were kept and treasured in important, early collections.”

Together, lusterware “represents a fascinating convergence of cultural traditions and artistry,” says Luber, and maiolica “encompasses the beauty of the object that never fades, once fired the colors are permanent, unlike any Old Master painting,” supports Leprince. By linking traditions, though distinct, to the broader history of European ceramics, lusterware and maiolica’s histories intertwine, creating a fascinating creative dialogue and exchange of cultures.