View all examples of LIGURIAN BLUE ON BLUE
| Type Name: | LIGURIAN BLUE ON BLUE |
| Type Index: | MAJOLICA |
| Production Origin: | ITALY |
| Date Range: | 1550-1600 |
| Defining Attributes: |
Light cream-colored, compact paste with little evident temper. Vessel walls are thin and light. Solid, even blue background enamel, with designs painted in darker blue. The background enamel can range from pale powder blue to a light cobalt blue, and may be quite glossy. Design motifs are precise, intricate and carefully executed. They include floral, leaf, vine, scroll, and arabesque combinations, as well as portraits and scenic elements. Overglaze yellow detail lines occur rarely. Exterior of vessels are decorated by overlapping series of arches in dark blue. |
| Vessel Forms: |
BOWL BRIMMED PLATO |
| Comments: | Ligurian Blue on Blue was formerly included in the blue-on-blue majolica variety designated by John Goggin as "Ichtuknee Blue on Blue", which also incorporated what is now known as Sevilla Blue on Blue. It is distinguished from Sevilla Blue on Blue by its white or cream-colored (as opposed to yellowish or pinkish) paste, its thicker and more even background enamel, and the fine lines, precision and quality of design painting. Ligurian Blue on Blue is rarely found in post-16th century American contexts, and is a good marker for the second half of the sixteenth century. |
| Published Definitions: | Goggin 1968: Lister and Lister 1982: 75, Deagan 2002: 70 |