TALAVERA

Well decorated plate. The use of flowers was due to the influence of Chinese ceramics during the Ming Dynasty.

Talavera is majolica-style pottery that has been made in and around Puebla, Mexico since 1550.  By 1580, it was the center of Talavera production in Mexico.

Talavera has a history that can be traced back many centuries, but I am just going to start with it’s beginning in Mexico.  There is a section, after the Talavera history and

Very well decorated plate with various shades of blue and other contrasting colors.

the pictures of my pieces, that will take you back all the way back to when the Romans entered Africa and how why it is said that Talavera has “Moorish” influence.

As we all know, the Spanish went to Mexico for various reasons.  One reason was to preach the gospel and convert the Mexicans to Christianity.  In 1531, the city of Puebla, Mexico was founded and there were many

Very similar in design and color to another plate, but the center is different.

churches and monasteries being built.  Ceramic tile was needed for these buildings, and since there was high quality clay in the area, it led to the production of what we know today as Talavera.  Although there were already many Mexican potters in the area, they neither glazed their wares nor used a potter’s wheel.  Monks and/or Spanish artisans worked with and

One of my favorite plates with various shades of green. This is the one that is similar to the plate in the previous picture.

taught the Mexican potters how to make glazed pottery.  Many potters also moved to Mexico from Seville and Talavera de la Reina, Spain.  Diego Gaytan, a notable potter from Talavera de la Reina, came to Puebla and really got the ball rolling.

With the Spanish and Mexican potters working together, the classic Talavera design began to take shape.  The pottery being made in Mexico was

Very nice oval platter.

referred to as Talavera Poblana to distinguish it from the Talavera being made in Spain.  There became many potters and workshops in Mexico, so the government had to regulate the industry with guilds and standards.  The first ordinances were passed in 1653 and they regulated who could make Talavera and how it was made and decorated.  Only

Very nice Calla Lily design!

authentic could be made in certain areas. This was to increase the quality of what was made.  Cobalt blue was only to be used on the finest quality pieces.  The craftsmen were to mark their pieces to avoid counterfeiting.  Different categories were established for fine, semi-fine, and wares for daily use.  Potters had to be inspected annually to

Very nice small Talavera bowl.

make sure they complied to the ordinances.

The years between 1650 and 1750 were known as the Golden Age of Talavera.  Pieces were shipped all over Mexico, and to Guatemala, Cuba, Venezuela, Santa Domingo, and Columbia.  Chinese ceramics arrived in Mexico during the Ming Dynasty with merchandise transported on the Nao de

Very nice large plate. I need to re-take this picture!

China and galleons from Manila.  The goods would arrive at the port of Acapulco and were taken across Central Mexico by mule to Vara Cruz.  Most of the goods were for use in Mexico, but some of it was then routed to Spain.  The use of blue on Talavera was greater influenced by the Chinese ceramics.

During the Mexican War for Independence, the potters

Very nice large bowl.

guild and ordinances formerly set up by the government were abolished.  This led to a decline in the quality of Talavera because this allowed for anyone to make it in any
way they wanted.  The war disrupted trade with Spain and cheaper English porcelain was being imported which led to a crash of the Talavera market.  There were 46

Very detailed and beautiful plate.

workshops making Talavera in the 18th century, and only
seven remained in business after the war.

A Catalan by the name of Enrique Luis Ventosa arrived in Puebla in 1897.  He was became interested in Talavera and its history and because it was unique to pottery made in other parts of Mexico.  He studied the original majorica

Top view of a well decorated bowl with Cally Lilies and Sunflowers.

process used in making Talavera. (Named after the island of Majorica off the coast of Spain where the original process was developed.)  He combined this process with his knowledge of contemporary Spanish designs.  He began to write articles and poems about the tradition and started decorating ceramic pieces.  In 1922, he became acquainted with a young

This is a very nice large platter that has been glued back together.

potter by the name of Ysauro Uriarte Martinez who inherited his grandfather’s workshop.  The two created new designs, adding pre-Columbian and Art Noveau styles to the influences of Islamic, Chinese, Spanish, and Italian designs.  They restored for former levels of quality established by the former guilds and ordinances.  This happened at

This is a very detailed plate even though it is fairly small.

about the time of the end of the Mexican Revolution when the country was in reconstruction.

By 1980, only four Talavera workshops remained.  The production of Talavera had been hit hard from competition from pottery being made in other parts of Mexico, cheap imports, and the lack of more modern imaginative designs.  The Talavera de la Reina workshops begin

This is a very beautiful plate although not exactly your normal Talavera colors... It may not be authentic Talavera.

revitalizing their craft and invited Mexican artisans to work with them.  They continued making Talavera the old way, but added human form, animals, and other items.  They also started adding flowers to the designs.

The Denominación de Origin de la Talavera was established in 1997 to regulate what pieces could actually be called Talavera.  The workshops have to include the production city,

Very cute little Talavera bowl.

the clay that was used, and the method of manufacture.  The pieces now carry holograms.  This federal law was passed to preserve the original process in order to maintain the high quality of Talavera and to protect the tradition.

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This is a very beautiful and very large platter! Need to re-take this picture!

THE MAJORICA PROCESS:

The majorica process was developed on an island off the coast of Spain called Majorica.  (I know, some of you would like to correct me and say Majolica).
First, black sand from Amozoc and white sand from Tecali are mixed together.  The sand is then washes and filtered to keep only the finest particles, which can reduce the volume by 50%.  The

This is a neat shape in a bowl!

pottery is then shaped by hand on a potter’s wheel.  After the pieces are made, they are then left to dry for several days.  They are then fired at 1,560 degrees F (850 degrees C).  Before they can be applied, the pottery is inspected for cracks.  The first glazing is then applied, which creates a milky-white background.  Then the designs and other colors are

This fairly large bowl is a good example of how the early Talavera may have been decorated... Blue was also the preferred color during the Ming Dynasty.

hand-painted on the pottery.  The second firing hardens the glaze which takes three months, and some pieces are fired for as long six months.

Majolica style Talavera pottery is well known for its thick glazing that kind of feels raised.  The glazing kind of thickens parts of the surface where it is applied.  The glazing process is difficult because the colors must melt close to each other.  If the colors

Sunflowers were also used in many Talavera designs.

do not touch during the melting process, they will run or may not totally melt.  The colors must have an expansion and contraction rate compatible with each other as well as with the clay.  Crazing and shivering can occur if the expansion and contraction rates are not compatible with each other.

This process is very complicated and there is such a risk of damage that artisans used have special prayers they prayed, especially during the firing process.

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NOW FOR THE PRE-MEXICAN HISTORY:

Small oval bowl with handles.

There are several resources for the early pre-Mexican history of Talavera, which was LONG before it was called Talavera, or before the majolica style even existed.  The actual history, I mean the “real truth”, is probably lost with time.  There are several theories, however, and I would really like to share with you my own story, which is a

One of my favorite plates with various shades of green.

mixture of all the rest.  So, by no means, think that I am a Talavera expert.  I just really love the stuff and I am very fascinated by the history and process.  The bright colors and designs are my most favorite of all pottery.

OK…  First of all, one website states that glazed earthenware in of Saracen origin and the Arabs introduced it to Persia and Egypt, and later took it to

One of my favorite large oval bowls.

Morocco…  It further states that it was taken to Spain by the Moors…  Now, it goes on to state that from Spain, it spread to Italy, France, Holland, Germany and England…

When you have a research disorder, mere words aren’t quite good enough…  First, I had to know who the Moors were.  This is when I nearly flipped!  I did not realize that the term

Nicely decorated oval bowl.

Moors meant black or dark…  You see, when the Romans went into West Africa in 46 BC and saw the native Africans, they called them ‘Maures.’  The term comes from the Greek word Mauros and the Latin word Marues, meaning black or dark.  To the Romans and Europeans, Africans became known as Moors.  This is also why the land where the Moors lived was

Nicely decorated bowl with blue, yellow, green, and maroon colors.

called Mauritania and Morocco, meaning “Land of the Blacks.”  Now, I know you are wondering how that has anything to do with Talavera!  Well, I am getting to that!

It is said that Talavera has “Moorish” influence because the “Arabs” lived in Spain for eight centuries…  That really confused me!  What do the Africans, called the Moors by the Romans, have to do

Highly detailed bowl with a good use of colors.

with the Arabs and glazed earthenware being taken to Spain???  So, I typed in Moors and Arabs, and to my surprise, there was already a document titled “MOORS AND ARABS”!  I’ll just give you the highlights, because the first part of the document explains the
question perfectly.  The first paragraph has to do with the Romans calling the Africans Moors.  The second paragraph unravels the mystery between the Arabs and the Africans…  Apparently in the beginning of the 7th Century, the Arab prophet Muhammad went to Africa to “convert” them to Islam.  So, the “Moors” became Islamic Africans!  Since it was during this period of time, when the Arabs were having a problem with wanting to spread the word of Islam and conquer the world.  SO, as the Africans were conquered in 708, very large numbers of them accepted the Arabic language and the Islamic religion.

Now, I will tell you what the Moors have to do with Talavera and Spain… Well, kind of!  After the fall of the Roman Empire in the Fifth Century, Spain was held by the tribe called the Visigoths (also written Visogoth).  They were a barbaric white tribe, and even though they were supposedly Christian, they were cruel and unjust.  The Arabs, wanting to go into Spain, appointed an African Chief as General in the Army.  He was sent to invade Spain with 300 Arab and 6,700 native African (Moors) troops.  Some sources say that the troops were Arab and Sudanese, but Sudanese is the Arab term for black people.

The Moors were ruthless fighters, and soon Visigoths were either killed or fled to the caves in the Cantabrian Mountains.  Some time later, the Visigoths came out from hiding and re-claimed parts of northern Spain.  After the Moors defeated the Visigoths, the Arabs moved into Spain.  The Moors weren’t treated fairly by the Arabs, and the Arab chiefs took the most fertile regions of Spain.  The Moors retaliated and acquired 2/3 of the
peninsula which they named Al-Andulus.  However, they had to pay taxes to the Arab King.  In 756 Al-Andulus proclaimed it self an independent state, but remained of the Islamic faith and still used the Arabic language.

I just thought that was an awesome story and wanted to share it with you!

So, I suppose, saying that Talavera has Moorish influence, is mainly to pay tribute to the Moors invading Spain and ridding the country of the Visigoths…  So the Arabs could move in and bring their pottery.