mezza-maiolica

Refers to a distinctive pottery that was produced in Bologna, Italy, and elsewhere, primarily from the 15th through the 18th centuries. It was created by dipping the earthenware body into clay slip and covering it with a lead glaze. Designs were incised into the slip, sometimes in conjunction with the application of green and manganese glazes. The technique was copied from certain Chinese and Korean objects, and it was practiced by Byzantine potters in Constantinople before appearing in Italy about 1500. Though it superficially resembles true "maiolica," or tin-glazed earthenware, it is distinct from maiolica in that lead glaze is used instead of tin glaze, designs are applied by incision through the slip to reveal differently colored clay beneath rather than by painting, and the colors tend to run during firing.